Dainty White-faced Darter (Leucorrhinia caudalis), Brenne; a rare species with an affinity to lilypads (...and apparently bracken )

Of the 100 or so odonata species that occur in France, 60 species have been recorded in the Vienne, and 64 in the departement Indre, covering the Brenne. Most of these species can be seen easily at etangs and rivers with free public access, although some have more specific habitat requirements. It is not unusual to find over 20 species around a single, well-established etang. Again, use of IGN large-scale 1:25 000 mapping usually pays dividends. The best months for watching are June and July.

PHOTO-GUIDE TO ODONATA OF THE AREA

FLICKR PHOTOSTREAM

Occasionally we net odonata using a large butterfly net. With Dave Smallshire's expert guidance, we have both learnt to confidently handle individuals by the wings for examination, and sometimes record shots - see Yellow-spotted Emerald photo, this page. We never catch or handle tenerals; their wings are too soft. This definitely adds another dimension to odonata watching, and does them no harm at all - see Dijkstra page 6. Otherwise, all individuals photographed in the wild using a variety of compact-zoom digital cameras

Main sources of reference;

Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe, Klaas-Douwe B Dijkstra/R Lewington, British Wildlife Publishing, 2006. The Bible
The order of odonata species follows this guide

Britain's Dragonflies, Dave Smallshire/Andy Swash, Wildguides, 2nd Edition fully revised 2010 and highly recommended, even for France www.wildguides.co.uk

DragonflyPix www.dragonflypix.com Good identification reference

Société française d’Odonatologie www.libellules.org

Libellules http://photosinsectes.free.fr

Odonata list Vienne Vienne Nature

Odonata list Indre (inc. the Brenne) Indre Nature

Big thanks to Dave and Sue Smallshire, Devon, UK, for help, advice and encouragement - and for the net !

Thanks also to Eric Male-Malherbe, formerly at Cherine reserve, who gave initial help with a couple of sites in the Brenne; Eric has written several useful papers on the status of odonata species in the Brenne

List of odonata species observed in the VIENNE/BRENNE WITHIN AN HOURS DRIVE OF MOULISMES, since our arrival in January 2006. The abundance guide may help if you live or are staying in the general area. It is based only on my observations since January 2006, and may or may not reflect the true status within the area. English BDS names are used

1 = Very common
2 = Fairly common
3 = Scarce
4 = Rare or localised

BANDED DEMOISELLE (Calopteryx splendens) - Caloptéryx éclatant ------1
BEAUTIFUL DEMOISELLE (Calopteryx virgo) - Caloptéryx vierge ------2
COMMON EMERALD DAMSELFLY (Lestes sponsa) - Leste fiancé ------2
SCARCE EMERALD DAMSELFLY (Lestes dryas) - Leste dryade ------3
SOUTHERN EMERALD DAMSELFLY (Lestes barbarus) - Leste sauvage ------2
SMALL EMERALD DAMSELFLY (Lestes virens) - Leste verdoyant ----2


Small Emerald female (Lestes virens), ssp. vestalis, Brenne; yellow 'jowls' (back of head) is a feature shared only with Southern Emerald

WILLOW EMERALD DAMSELFLY (Lestes viridis) - Leste vert ------2
WINTER DAMSELFLY (Sympecma fusca) - Leste brun ------3
BLUE-TAILED DAMSELFLY (Ischnura elegans) - Agrion élégant ------1
SCARCE BLUE-TAILED DAMSELFLY (Ischnura pumilio) - Agrion nain ------4
COMMON BLUE DAMSELFLY (Enallagma cyathigerum) - Agrion porte-coupe ------1
VARIABLE DAMSELFLY (Coenagrion pulchellum) - Agrion gracieux ------3
AZURE DAMSELFLY (Coenagrion puella) - Agrion jouvencelle ------1
SOUTHERN DAMSELFLY (Coenagrion mercuriale) - Agrion de Mercure ------3
DAINTY DAMSELFLY (Coenagrion scitulum) - Agrion mignon ------2
RED-EYED DAMSELFLY (Erythromma najas) - Naïade aux yeux rouges ------2
SMALL RED-EYED DAMSELFLY (Erythromma viridulum) - Naïade aux corps vert ------2
GOBLET-MARKED DAMSELFLY (Cercion lindenii) - Agrion à long cercoïdes ------1


Goblet-marked Damselfly (Cercion lindenii) male, Moulismes; common on rivers and large etangs, the bright blue eyes are diagnostic

LARGE RED DAMSELFLY (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) - Petit nymphe au corps de feu ------2
SMALL RED DAMSELFLY (Ceriagrion tenellum) - Agrion delicat ------1
WHITE-LEGGED DAMSELFLY (Platycnemis pennipes) - Agrion à larges pattes ------1
ORANGE WHITE-LEGGED DAMSELFLY (Platycnemis acutipennis) - Agrion orangé ------2
MIGRANT HAWKER (Aeshna mixta) - Aeschne mixte ------1
SOUTHERN MIGRANT HAWKER (Aeshna affinis) - Aeschne affine ------2
NORFOLK HAWKER (Anaciaeshna isosceles) - Aeschne isocèle ------3 (Brenne)
SOUTHERN HAWKER (Aeshna cyanea) - Aeschne bleue ------1
EMPEROR DRAGONFLY (Anax imperator) - Anax empereur ------1
LESSER EMPEROR (Anax parthenope) - Anax napolitain ------4 (Brenne)
VAGRANT EMPEROR (Hemianax ephippiger) - Anax porte-selle ------4
HAIRY DRAGONFLY (Brachytron pratense) - Aeschne printanière ------3
DUSK HAWKER (Boyeria irene) - Aeschne paisible ------4


Dusk Hawker (Boyeria irene) male, Vienne; an elusive species of rivers and streams

CLUB-TAILED DRAGONFLY (Gomphus vulgatissimus) - Gomphus très commun ------2
YELLOW CLUBTAIL (Gomphus simillimus) - Gomphus similaire ------3
WESTERN CLUBTAIL (Gomphus pulchellus) - Gomphus gentil ------2
BLUE-EYED HOOKTAIL (Onychogomphus uncatus) - Gomphus à crochets ------3
GREEN-EYED HOOKTAIL (Onychogomphus forcipatus) - Gomphus à pinces ------1
GOLDEN-RINGED DRAGONFLY (Cordulegaster boltoni) - Cordulégastre annelé ------3
DOWNY EMERALD (Cordulia aenea) - Cordulie bronzée ------2
BRILLIANT EMERALD (Somatochlora metallica) - Cordulie métallique ------3
YELLOW-SPOTTED EMERALD (Somatochlora flavomaculata) - Cordulie à corps jaune ------3 (Brenne)


Yellow-spotted Emerald (Somatochlora flavomaculata) male, Brenne; can be fairly common but localised

TWO-SPOTTED DRAGONFLY (BASKETTAIL) (Epitheca bimaculata) - Cordulie à deux taches ------4
ORANGE-SPOTTED EMERALD (Oxygastra curtisii) - Cordulie à corps fin ------2
FOUR-SPOTTED CHASER (Libellula quadrimaculata) - Libellule à quatre taches ------1
BROAD-BODIED CHASER (Libellula depressa) - Libellule déprimée ------1
SCARCE CHASER (Libellula fulva) - Libellule fauve ------3
BLACK-TAILED SKIMMER (Orthetrum cancellatum) - Orthétrum réticulé -----1
WHITE-TAILED SKIMMER (Orthetrum albistylum) - Orthétrum à stylets blancs ------1
KEELED SKIMMER (Orthetrum coerulescens) - Orthétrum bleuissant ------2
SOUTHERN SKIMMER (Orthetrum brunneum) - Orthétrum brun ------4 (Vienne)
LARGE WHITE-FACED DARTER (Leucorrhinia pectoralis) - Leucorrhine à gros thorax ------4 (Vienne)


Large White-faced Darter (Leucorrhinia pectoralis) male, Vienne; a rare western European species

DAINTY WHITE-FACED DARTER (Leucorrhinia caudalis) - Leucorrhine à large queue ------4 (Brenne)
RUDDY DARTER (Sympetrum sanguineum) - Sympétrum rouge sang ------1
RED-VEINED DARTER (Sympetrum fonscolombii) - Sympétrum à nervure rouges ------3
COMMON DARTER (Sympetrum striolatum) - Sympétrum à côtés striés ------1
VAGRANT DARTER (Sympetrum vulgatum) - Sympétrum vulgaire ------4
SOUTHERN DARTER (Sympetrum meridionale) - Sympétrum méridional ------1
SCARLET DARTER (Crocothemis erythraea) - Libellule écarlate ------2

Total 57 odonata species 12/8/2012