Macromia Scientific
  • Home
  • Emerald Damsels (Lestids)
    • Classification
    • Identification
    • Sea Club Rush
    • The Lestid Life
    • Balsa de Pinar
    • Chalcolestes
    • Sympecma
    • Lestes macrostigma
    • Southern Lestids >
      • Lestes barbarus >
        • UK Colonies
      • Lestes virens
    • Northern Lestids >
      • Lestes dryas >
        • Case Study 1 - L. dryas in the Weald
      • Lestes sponsa
    • Lestid References
  • Dragonflies round the world
    • Western Palearctic >
      • The Middle East
      • Iberia
      • UK
    • Afro-Tropical >
      • Cameroon
      • South Africa
    • Neo-Tropical >
      • Brazil
    • Nearctic >
      • Florida, USA
  • Dragonflies of Iberia
    • Topography and Climate
    • Exploring Iberia
    • Wetlands of Iberia
    • Where are we now?
  • The Euphyllopoda: their part in my downfall
  • Trip Reports
  • Publications
The two Northern Lestids are very similar in appearance  and can easily be confused. Males are best separated  but viewing their anal appendages (see above).
  • Lower appendages (shown black above) clubbed and inward turned - L. dryas
  • .​Lower appendages straight - L. sponsa
Less reliable features include:
  • bright blue eyes - 2nd abdominal segment (above) green in lower half - L. dryas
  • dark blue eyes - 2nd abdominal segment predominantly powder blue - L. sponsa
But beware these latter features can be unreliable - appendages are vital for confirmation. They can be seen with close focusing binoculars 
The two species look similar but have quite different life styles and rarely occur together.
Proudly powered by Weebly