Leucorrhinia dubia (White-faced Darter/Small Whiteface)

A specialist of peat bogs, where it is dependent upon the acid water and floating Sphagnum Moss in which it oviposits and where its nymphs develop. Since we’ve destroyed ~95% of our peat bogs, it is now rare, though it seems locally abundant – there just aren’t many locales left.

I’ve seen it at the main English location of Whixall Moss and at Abernethy in Scotland. More recently I was guided to it in the Netherlands, along with the remaining four of the five European Whiteface species.

Id Notes

• a medium-sized dragonfly with an overall dark appearance
• distinctive white frons
• quite deep looking pterostigmas, front to back
• ♂ – red (mature) or yellow (immature) dorsal markings on abdomen
• ♀ – yellow dorsal markings on abdomen

male

female

in cop