How very exciting. For those that didn't see Alan Reynold's comment last night on my Emerald damselfly, which I identified as Lestes sponsa:
Well Iain, do you want the good news or the bad news. The bad news is that this is not Lestes sponsa. The good news is that, in my opinion, this is Lestes viridis, the Willow Emerald Damselfly. The diagnostic is the khaki-coloured pterostigma.
The Willow Emerald was first recorded in the UK in about 2007 and this just may be the first record for Cambridgeshire. I suggest you contact the County Recorder.
I did so at midnight last night, and got this reply from Val this morning:
Hi Iain -
Many thanks for sending the photos of what appears to be a female Willow Emerald from Paxton Pits. Indeed the pale-coloured pterostigma are diagnostic but I've sent the photos on to Adrian Parr (Migrant dragonfly officer for the BDS) to make sure!
Please would you let me have full details on the find (date, map reference, exact location, other species, etc) so that I can enter these on to the database later ?
Was this the only individual of the species you saw ?
Congratulations on the find, although I'm afraid this is the second confirmed record of Willow Emerald for the county - I just received the first the other day from Roswell Pits in Ely, where a male Willow Emerald was seen last September (there was also another, unconfirmed record from the Ouse Washes a couple of years back but there were no photos to back this up)
Look forward to hearing further.
Best regards,
Val Perrin (M)
County Recorder, Cambs & Hunts
Here are some more images of the 2 I saw, It seems very unlikely that it's the same individual so presumably there are several around. Click on images for full size and better quality.
Now, the tricky part...If confirmed, do we say that I discovered it or Alan discovered it?? ;-)
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