Pyrrhosoma nymphula - Large Red Damselfly
Male
Sequence of photos showing tandem pair with male moving into position to charge its secondary genitalia
Pairs ovipositing in tandem
Pair of Large Reds caught by Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)
Exuvia (male, side view)
Description
Length: 36mm
A large, active, deep red damselfly with black legs and a bronze-black top to the thorax which has broad red or yellow stripes.
The female exists in several colour forms varying in the amount of red and black on the abdomen from nearly all black in f. melanotum to mainly red in f. fulvipes.
The pterostigma is black.
This is one of the earliest species to appear each spring.
Habitat
Can be found in almost any freshwater habitat but rarely on fast-flowing rivers or streams.
Status and Distribution
Widespread and common in Britain and Ireland.
Distribution map from the National Biodiversity Network Gateway (opens in new window).
Similar species
The only other red damselfly in the UK is the Small Red Damselfly.
The small red has red legs and reddish pterostigma and the male has an entirely red abdomen.