CHOG Odonata Photographic Archive

Ruddy Darter

• Length about 35 mm
• Wingspan about 55 mm
• Distinguished from the far more frequent Common Darter by (1) its very noticeably smaller size (about the same length as Large Red Damselfly), (2) its all-black legs (striped  in Common), (3) its dark red ‘face’ (light in Common), (4) its distinctly ‘waisted’ blood-red abdomen, resulting in a distinctly ‘bulbous’ appearance of the last three segments of the abdomen contrasting with the (usually (but not always) less distinctively waisted red abdomen in Common), (5) the two distinct black marks on the upper side of the last two segments of its abdomen (usually indistinct or lacking altogether in Common), (6) a distinct orange/yellow patch at the base of each wing (usually less distinct in Common), but it is suggested that a combination of these features is advisable for a confident identification of this species.