Male. Taken at Dry Sandford Pit, Oxon on May 24th 2009. Click image for larger version.
(1/200th sec at F11. Approx 1.75x life size.)
Female. Taken at Bentley Wood, Wilts on May 21st 2011. Click image for larger version.
(1/400th sec at F11. Approx 1.75x life size.)

© David Hastings

Description

Wing span: 64 - 76 mm; Body length: 39 - 48 mm
 
This species has a very broad, flattened abdomen, which makes the insect appear "fat". Both sexes have pale blue, thin ante-humeral stripes and brown eyes. The wing bases and wing spots are very dark brown. Males quickly develop a blue pruinescence on the abdomen with yellow spots along the segment sides. Females are a golden brown on the abdomen, again with yellow spots at the margins.
 
Its prefered habitat is a wide range of mostly stagnant waters, especially those which are small, shallow, sunny and bare. It is usually quick to colonise new ponds.
 
As with the Four-spotted Chaser, males are aggressively territorial, taking up positions on bankside vegetation, from which they launch missions to chase intruders or intercept females. Mating occurs in flight, and is very brief. Eggs are laid in flight. They hatch after about three weeks and the larvae live in bottom sediment. Nymphs take between one and three years to mature into adults.
 
The main flight period is mid-May to July.

Sightings

04-Jun-2011	:	Aston Upthorpe Down SSSI, Bucks (1f)
21-May-2011	:	Bentley Wood, Wilts (1m, 3f)
15-May-2011	:	Parsonage Moor, Oxon (1m, 1f)
24-Jun-2010	:	The Brenne, France
12-Jun-2010	:	Dry Sandford Pit, Oxon
24-May-2009	:	Dry Sandford Pit, Oxon