Happy New Year 2011!!!

 

Happy New Year 2011 to you all! 

 

Thanks for visiting and share what I call "happiness" to me and my blog.

 

wish you have a glorious, healthy and successful year!

Trithemis festiva

Scientific name: Trithemis festiva (Rambur, 1842)

Family: Libellulidae

Thai name: แมลงปอบ้านใต้ผู้ม่วง

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I'd been wondering where the female of Trithemis festiva are after spotting only the male in many field trips for 3 years. Unlike its congeners, T. aurora and T. pallidinervis, I often see both sexes around the stream and waterfall. I've seen it's ovipositing around the stream for three times. Is it hiding in the forest far from the stream like those of Brachydiplax, or does it have a small number? I don't know. Until recently, I luckily found a female perching on dry twig near the stream. It's easy to get close and photographed her.

male

Male is dark blue in coloration. Wings are clear. Base of abdomen is dark blue with yellow streaks. Female is black with yellow markings. Abdomen is black with yellow streaks.

female

You can see this species throughout the country in forest area all the year. Male is easily to spot but it's very hard to see the female.

Agrionoptera insignis insignis

Scientific name: Agrionoptera insignis insignis (Rambur, 1842)

Family: Libellulidae

Thai name: แมลงปอบ้านเอวกิ่ว

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Today morning I went to the place where Phyllothemis eltoni is found in Chiang Mai. The place has two small forest streams decending from the mountain and there are lots of odonate species here. I found 2 new provincial records earlier. While walking along the stream, I noticed a red libellulid species perching on the twig not far from me. Coloration reminds me of Lathrecista asiatica asiatica, but I observed its behavior for several minutes, I found it's surely not L. asiatica. When I got close to it and saw its synthorax ... it's Agrionoptera insignis insignis ... the third new provincial record for Chiang Mai!

male

This species is smaller than L. asiatica. Male is metallic dark synthorax with unique yellow markings. The dorsum of abdomen is red except S8-10 is black. Female is similar to the male.

You can see this species in all parts of Thailand except Northeastern and Eastern parts from February to December.

Copera vittata

Scientific name: Copera vittata (Selys, 1863)

Family: Platycnemididae

Thai name: แมลงปอเข็มท้องยาวขาส้ม

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When you searching odonates at open forest stream or waterfall, one of odonates you can spot is Copera vittata. We almost always see the male and female is very hard to see. Because of subspecies of C. vittata in Thailand are unsettled, so I don't try to identify them in subspecific level.

male

Male is black with yellow markings and antehumeral stripe is green in synthorax. Legs are red and not dilate. Abdomen is black with white basal rings. Dorsum of S9-10 are white. Superior appendages are shorter and pointed. Inferior appendages are longer. Female is dull and pale in coloration. Legs are reddish yellow. S9 has white "T" marking. Superior appendages are white.

female

You can see this species in all parts of Thailand all the year.

Copera chantaburii

Scientific name: Copera chantaburii Asahina, 1984

Family: Coenagrionidae

Thai name: แมลงปอเข็มยาวจันทบุรี

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I remember the first time I see this species. I found it perched on the grass leave near small pond in my backyard. I send specimen of this unknown damselfly to Mr. Pisuth Ek-Amnuay to check in his collectiona and literature. Finally, he told me it's Copera chantaburii, a Thai endemic species.

male

Male is pinkish brown body with pale stripes as in photo. Prothorax has a pair of small horn. Legs are pale orange yellow. Abdomen is pale brown except almost part of S8-9 and S10 are white. Caudal appendages are white. Superior appendages are curved downward. Female is similar to the male. This species has a ghost form like C. marginipes and C. vittata.

 female

you can see this species in Northern, Central and Eastern parts of Thailand between September-March.

Anax immaculifrons

Scientific name: Anax immaculifrons Rambur, 1842

Family: Aeschnidae

Thai name: แมลงปอยักษ์เขียวท้องส้ม

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Last year, I went to Phu Kradueng national park in mid January. In the shallow and small stream, I found many unknown Anax larva. 12 larvae were collected and five died along the way to my home. One month later, all larvae emerged as adults, 4 males and 3 females. It's Anax immaculifrons!

male

Large-sized dragonfly. Male is green body with dark stripes. Base of wings are ochre. Abdomen is orange. Female is similar to the male but stouter and duller.

female

You can see this species in three province in North and Northeast in March-October.

Euphaea ochracea

Scientific name: Euphaea ochracea Selys, 1859

Family: Euphaeidae

Thai name: แมลงปอเข็มน้ำตกสีตาลแดง, แมลงปอเข็มหางโป่งปีกแดง, แมลงปอเข็มน้ำตกตาลแดง

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Euphaea ochracea is the most common euphaeid species found in waterfall. With red wings, I can't take my eyes of it. Last few weeks, I spotted underwater oviposition of this species for the first time. While I walked against the stream current (this shaded and fast-running forest stream is about 2 m wide), I stopped at the short cascade with a big half-submerged log on the left (about 18-20 cm in diameter) and it's a splash zone of the cascade. Suddenly, a female few into the water at 60-70 degree. It clung the log and went down deep until I couldn't see it. This stream is about 15-20 cm deep. This behavior took 2-3 minutes before it went up and flew away.   

male

Male is red body with balck stripes and it's all black in old male. Wings are orange and turns to red as it ages. Base of abdomen is red and black in the rest. Dorsum of S-10 has a process pointed upward. Caudal appendages are black. Female is yellow body with black stripes. It's very hard to differentiate the female of this species from female of other species. Base of wings are ochre. Abdomen is black with white lateral line and spots. 

female

You cann see this species in all parts of Thailand all the year. 

Drepanosticta jurzitzai

Scientific name: Drepanosticta jurzitzai Hämäläinen, 1999

Family: Platystictidae

Thai name: แมลงปอเข็มร่มไม้เจอร์ซิทซ่า

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Few years ago, I go to Chantaburi to see odonates after reading Dr. Oleg's field note. There are many many species I saw. Forty species are recorded here. The last day in this province, I found an interesting unknown platystictid I never see before. I sent the photos to Dr. Matti and he said it's Drepanosticta jurzitzai which is described in 1999.

male

Male is metallic black with white stripe and minute blue dot on thorax. Wings are hyaline with yellow stigma. Abdomen is metallic black with bright blue patch on S8-10 dorsally. Female is not described officially. Female is similar to the male but the abdomen is stouter. S9 is a small blue patch on dorsum and S10 are blue dorsally.

female

This species are known only two national parks in Chantaburi, eastern Thailand. You can see it in March-July.

Diplacodes trivialis

Scientific name: Diplacodes trivialis (Rambur, 1842)

Family: Libellulidae

Thai name: แมลงปอบ้านคู่สีเขียวฟ้า, แมลงปอบ้านฟ้าเขียว

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adult male

When I was first interested in Odonata, I often took photos of odonates and compared it with other photos from Internet. Diplacodes trivialis is one of odonates I photograph. Comparing with internet photos confused me a lot because the photos didn't tell me what actual size they are. I identified D. trivialis as Orthetrum sabina (because, at that time, I'd never seen O. sabina before). Few weeks later, I saw real O. sabina and I knew what I identified was D. trivialis! that's my "eureka moment".

young male

Young male is yellowish green body. Hyaline wings. Abdomen is yellowish green except three last segments which are black. Caudal appendages are white. Mature male is blue body and abdomen. Female is similar to the young male in coloration.

female

You can see this species mostly in lowland or grassland all the year.

Rhyothemis variegata

Scientific name: Rhyothemis variegata (Linnaeus, 1763)

Family: Libellulidae

Thai name: แมลงปอบ้านไร่ปีกทองเปื้อน

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I've seen at least 200 species of Odonata recorded in Thailand. Rhyothemis variegata is the odonate species I often spot in the lowland and my backyard. Thai R. variegata is belong to subspecies 'R. v. variegata'. It's often seen flying with its cousin, R. phyllis. Strangely enough, I see only females every time. Today, I look up all my photos I took and found photos looked like male of R. v. variegata.

female

Male is metallic black body and abdomen.  Wing tips are darken. Forewings are yellow veins with black patches. Base of hindwings are covered with black with yellow patch. Small black spot scattered entirely. Female is similar to the male but stouter. Base to nodus of forwings are black with yellow. Hindwings is black with yellow patches except wing tips.

male(?)

You can see this species in lowland all the year except in the southern part. I should noted that I found male twice only.