John Curd

I see where the Wandering Glider suggestion came from but this character has a yellow-tinged patches and coloured veins in the wings.

I realize that this doesn't look like a classic Violet Dropwing but that's because it is an immature male - the pink colouration develops with maturity. Check out this picture: http://www.pbase.com/agfloridia/image/13...

This is one of the Emerald dragonflies, species Somatochlora. There are few to choose from this far north - Treeline Emerald (S. sahlbergi) is one possibility - but a closer examination of the anal appendages would help with a more specific id.

In northern Europe, these are generally the first species to emerge at the start of a new season.

OK, well, as I said, no Libella fulva in the States. I did find this character in Dennis Paulson's book, Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West, though (don't you just love America-centric publications - forget the west of anywhere else).

It is S. corruptum. According to the eminent Dr. Paulson teh "yellow spots low on side of thorax" are diagnostic. These show clearly on your specimen.

Oh, and I thought this initially to be male based on the shape of the anal appendages but I now see there's no 2ary genitalia - this is a female.

OK, I need time to look through my newly delivered books on American dragonflies by Dennis Paulson [Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East/West]. However, a cursory glance shows that Scarce Chaser (A British Dragonfly Society name, incidentally - Libellula fulva), does not occur in the United States, so it ain't that. Not that it looks like one.

Time to search ...

There are a mix of two different individuals and species here: the lead photo #1 has a clearly visible yellow patch on the hind wing whereas photos 2 & 3 lack the yellow wing patch.

Photo 1 has a just visible blue-ish underside to the eye which, combined with the side of the thorax, teh black-lined yellow pterostigmas, visibly coloured wing veins and the yellow hind wing patch make this a Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).

Photos #2 and #3 have yellow legs, clear wings and yellow pterostigmas and are of a Southern Darter (Sympetrum meridionale).

This is a dark photograph and I think that is making yellowish pterostigmas look a little reddish. However, there are two clear features strongly indicating S. meridionale: the completely clear wings and the lack of any black markings on the dorsal side of the abdomen (almost all Sympetrum species have two black spots on S8 & S9). I fancy the legs can just be seen to be light in colour through the wings, too (S. meridionale has quite light/yellow legs).

Certainly not Camacinia gigantea. Though that does exist in Singapore, the wing colouration extends only just beyond the wing nodes and not up to the pterostigmas. It's also very large.

The location (Singapore), the shape of the wing colouration and the brownish abdominal colour make this certainly N. fluctuans. It is the most common dragonfly in Singapore [Tang Hun Bun]. N. ramburii is similar but is not, to my admittedly limited knowledge, recorded in Singapore.

Quite right, Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta). The distinguishing features in a side shot like this are the shapes of the coloured side panels on the thorax. A top view would reveal several more distinguishing features from the Southern Hawker (A. cyanea) and Common/Moorland Hawker (A. juncea).

Hi Malcolm, this was exciting for me 'cos it's the first one I've seen, you lucky man! :))

When your book arrives the distinguishing features are: the black markings along the side of S1 & S2 (abdominal segments 1 & 2), combined with the blue-grey underside to the eyes.

John