Lady Dragonfly?

[MacroLuv]

Any chance it is a female of Libellula depressa or I captured another species?
Kindly asking for help. Betty? Erland?
If only the stalk was of another kind or appeared better.



Model Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL
Date/time original 28.04.2007 13:16:06
Shutter speed value 1/640 s
Aperture value f/5
ISO speed ratings ISO 200
Focal length 100 mm



Model Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL
Date/time original 28.04.2007 13:16:17
Shutter speed value 1/640 s
Aperture value f/5
ISO speed ratings ISO 200
Focal length 100 mm

[Ken Ramos]

The first image is quite nice there Nikola , however the second suffers in DOF or focus, around under the thorax region of the insect. I noticed the camera lens settings were the same for both images though?

[MacroLuv]

Thanks Ken.

... I noticed the camera lens settings were the same for both images though?

You are right, just slightly different position and time. Hadn't time to change the settings. You never know when those creatures could activate their beautiful wings.

[beetleman]

The first one is very nice Nikola...everything sharp and lots of detail. A beautiful insect also

[Planapo]

With the first one you managed to take a good picture Nikola, so don´t worry too much about that broken stalk.

And yes, I think this time it´s a female Libellula depressa you´ve shot.
(Unless there was a very similar sibling species down there in the South at your place. I´m not familiar with Mediterranean Odonata and thus can only judge from the species I know from up here. Let´s see if Erland will confirm.)

So long,
Betty

[Erland R.N.]

Great photo's. You seem to go strong with your new camera

Libellula depressa (Broad-Bodied Chaser) can hardly be confused with any other dragonfly in Europe or nearby. Simply because the abdomen is so wide. There are others with wide abdomens (and where the male get a blue abdomen with age), but they don't come near this species in that regard.

But, it is not a female, but a young male. The young male and female look very much alike, but the female's abdomen is slightly broader.
The females appendages at the end of the abdomen are short and seperated by a few millimeters, whereas the males are a bit longer and closer together.

Very old females can get a bit blue "powder" colour on the abdomen like all males do, but not nearly as much as the males get.

This species is hard to photograph while mating, as they do it while in flight, and it takes less than ten seconds, often less than five.

Erland

[MacroLuv]

Thank you Betty and Erland!
Where you've learned all that stuff?