scarce chaser blue chaser libellula fulva

portraits
scarce chaser
The female has a series of dark bell-shapes on the abdomen and shows a yellow suffusion near the front of the wings. The eyes are dark brown. Adults of both sexes sometimes have black smudges on their wing-tips. The body shape and appendages help to differentiate the sexes.
scarce chaser
This male has mating marks on the abdomen. There is a dark patch at the base of each hind-wing (both sexes). The male thorax is dark and there is no yellowish suffusion on the wings.
scarce chaser
A slightly immature male, still showing some brownish marks on the side of the abdomen. When fully mature these marks are covered by a blue pruinesence ...
scarce chaser
... another slightly immature male
scarce chaser
Female: its abdominal 'coat' looks amazing.
scarce chaser
male
scarce chaser
male


ageing sequence: female
scarce chaser
Immature female; I don't find it easy to distinguish this from an immature male, apart from the claspers.
scarce chaser
Mature female; this one has dark smudges at the wing-tips. The transition from immaturity to adulthood doesn't seem to be that much of change but the final step to old age (if the specimen survives long enough) is quite striking.
scarce chaser
an aged female that has developed male pruinescence ...
scarce chaser
... side view of specimen to the left


ageing sequence: male
scarce chaser
immature male
scarce chaser
mature male; quite a transformation!


in flight
scarce chaser scarce chaser


mating
scarce chaser
scarce chaser
scarce chaser
abdomen of both sexes is incredibly flexible
scarce chaser
immature male on adjacent stick
 scarce chaser
another pair in cop
scarce chaser
another mating pair (little yellow wing fusion, dark smudges on wing-tips of female)
scarce chaser
male broad-bodied chaser at front of stick