the tau of mothing

Ed Parnell came over for the weekend recently from Wymondham in my old home county of Norfolk and I promised him Aglia tau, one of two species of Saturnid here in BK. We only had to wait half an hour before this guy came blundering to our light trap in the dark beech woods above Klarningen. What a beauty.

Orthetrum ransonnetii diagnosis

Desert skimmer (Orthetrum ransonnetii) made it onto the Western Palearctic list in 2007, just too late to be included in KD's field guide. I recently found one in northern Oman and offer you this brief photo comparison with Orthetrum chrysostigma to aid identification.

Orthetrum ransonnetii - note the white hind wing membranule, lack of waist and dark subcostal crossveins.

Orthetrum chrysostigma - note the dark membranule with small adjacent yellow border in the hindwing, the waisted abdomen and the pale subcostal crossveins.