Despite the cooler weather 2 more Darter species have been seen at Whixall Moss. Firstly on the 6th June Stephen Barlow recorded Common Darter (top left) followed today by Nathn Brake recording the very similar Ruddy Darter (below left). If you compare the 2 photos closely you’ll see the Common Darter has a yellow stripe running down the legs, whereas the Ruddy Darter has solid black legs. The common Darter also has yellow antehumeral stripes just visible whereas the Ruddy Darter has a black T shape on top of the thorax. And finally the Ruddy Darter has a thicker black line extending down the side of the frons or face area, called the frons side line. Lots to look for, so the first thing I go for is a stripe on the legs!
