Being relatively new to this game, I can't question your i.d. and I'd be happy to call it a Dusky. Also Ashy isn't on our provincial list, though the illustrated range comes very close. Things still bothering me: The lack of a spot on S9 appears not to be definitive in separating the 2 species (see P64 Dragonflies of the North Woods) I'm pretty sure the "spot" on S10 is a flash reflection. Enhancing the image at the end of the abdomen appears to show that what seems to be a wider epiproct on the right side is a trick of shape and shadow.

OdonataCentral lists Ashy Clubtail for Manitoba. I don't know the details, but I'm curious. Any idea where the record was?

The location in OdonataCentral is not terribly far north of where I do most of my Dragonfly "collecting" (pictures only). It's Bernic lake north of the Winnipeg River. Trivia - there's a tantalum, Cesium, spodumene mine there - one of the world's largest rare element deposits. I'll check with the Provincial biologist when he gets back from vacation.

Larry

Yes, the dorsal markings on the last 3 abdominal segments can be variable in both species. It's best not to use those field marks as the only ID criterion. They should be used in combination with other marks as supporting a probable ID. I can see how the epiproct I was seeing could just be shadow or the background...very hard to tell. In any case, the differences there between Ashy/Dusky can also be a bit variable and hard to discern. I'm surprised the spot on S10 is only a photo artifact. I thought about that but figured there would be more of a mark on S9 if this were the case. I still think the frontal thoracic stripes are a good match for Dusky and not at all right for Ashy. These two species can be quite a pain to separate, though! Check out this great page for more info.