Cyprus Dragonflies 2013

May 4-9, 2013:
Several species were flying by this date; photos of some of them are shown below.

Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) at Akrotiri gravel pits



Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) male, Fassouri reed beds (top) and Akrotiri gravel pits

Small Pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus) male, at Kidasi

 Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) top two males, females below

Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens), female at top, male below

Small Skimmer (Orthetrum taeniolatum) female, Kidasi

 Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) at Polis

Red-veined Darter near Heysham, Lancashire

July 12, 2012:
Over recent years, after originally arriving as migrants, Red-veined Darters have been considered to be breeding at a small pool here. Records have been very low in the last few years however but one was recorded here last week simultaneously with an influx in other parts of the country which raises uncertainty about its origin. Today, in warm sunny conditions, a male was seen patrolling very low down over the water and perched briefly on vegetation at the water's edge. Some time later in the day another male was reportedly seen at the opposite end of the pool, suggesting at least two individuals present. The distinctive dark-bordered red pterostigma and red venation of the wings can clearly be seen in the photograph below.

Red-veined Darter in flight with a Common Blue Damselfly pair

Elsewhere around the pool, a few Black-tailed Skimmers were active, only resting occasionally and then only on the stones or dried mud. One newly emerged female flew into the surrounding bushes to allow her wings to dry.

A family of Mute Swans comprising eight cygnets rested peacefully at a safe place on the bank

Also present were large numbers of Common Darters and Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies

DRAGONFLY: Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) at Asprokremnos, Cyprus.

May 8, 2010:
At the Asprokremnos pool, as well as there being many Purple Drop-wings, some Red-veined Darters were also present.



The male photographed here shows the characters of this species: a red venation in the wings, prominent black lines bordering the pterostigmas, the abdomen with black marks on the rear dorsal segments, and the abdomen itself narrowing strongly after the second segment. Not visible from the photograph is the blue colouration of the bottom part of its eyes.

It is a widespread resident of the Mediterranean area including Cyprus and also a strong migrant which reaches Britain in most years. I'm grateful to Allen Holmes and Yiannis Christophides for their comments on this photo.