Sometimes I shoot test shots of an odonate exuvia that are used to plan the final shots I have in mind for an identification guide featuring annotated photos.
All of the shots in this post are unedited JPGs straight from my camera, with the exception of the first ventral view (cropped to remove a distracting element from the composition).
Lateral view
I started with a lateral view of an exuvia from a Comet Darner dragonfly (Anax longipes) exuvia collected by Stanley Caveney on 19 July 2021 from a pond at MeadowWoods in West Elgin, Ontario, Canada.
Comet Darner (Anax longipes) | exuvia (lateral)
Ventral view
The next two photos show my frustratingly poor attempts to pose the specimen for shots of the ventral side of the exuvia. Every time I positioned the subject the way I wanted, it rolled over before I could take a shot!
Comet Darner (Anax longipes) | exuvia (ventral)
The two shots combined show the vestigial primary- and secondary genitalia that indicate this specimen is from a male Comet Darner. Yeah, I know it would help to annotate those parts of its anatomy, but that’s the next step. In the meantime, please follow the embedded hyperlink shown above and you might be able to figure out what I’m saying.
Comet Darner (Anax longipes) | exuvia (ventral)
Prementum
The last photo shows a closer view of the prementum. My goal was to get a better look at the labial palps. Again, annotations would help, but if you know what I’m talking about then you can see the palpal lobes are squared off.
Comet Darner (Anax longipes) | exuvia (prementum)
Copyright © 2021 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Anax longipes, Comet Darner dragonfly, exuvia, Family Aeshnidae (Darners), Signs of Wildlife
walter sanford's photoblog 
October 5, 2021 at 9:33 am |
Outstanding details!
Coincidentally, I spotted a Comet Darner last Friday. Too far away for a photo, but now I know where he lives!