Chris Brooks Photography

(www.dragonfly-images.co.uk)

Quick Identification Guide

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)

 
Welcome to my quick identification guide for the common Large Red Damselfly. These graphics are meant as a guide to the key identifying features of both the male and the female damselflies.

The text section has been kindly written and supplied by Mr Ken Crick.

 

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The male Large Red Damselfly

The males eyes are red with a black band passing though them. There are two red stripes on the black upper surface of the thorax. The abdomen is deep red with fine black stripes at the segment boundaries. The upper surface of segments 7 to 9 sport three black bands separated by two broad areas of red. A key feature to remember is that the legs are black.

 

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The female Large Red Damselfly

A Quick ID Guide

 
For a more complete species description, follow the link below to the narrative of this damselfly.

Link to Narrative

Alternatively follow the link to the main species page.

Link to Image Page

Not the species you were looking for.

Link to ID guide

All of these images and graphics are by Chris Brooks.

The female is obviously larger than the male, the abdomen being up to 3 times as thick. The eyes and legs match those of the male. There are 3 female colour forms. The 2 types of red female carry significantly more black on the abdomen than the male. The black segments of the abdomen are not separated by wide red bands and the abdominal segment joints are delineated with fine lines in both black and yellow. The upper surface of the thorax closely resembles that of the male except in the all black form where the antehumeral stripes are yellow. 

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