Number: 80
Family: Lestidae
Genus: Lestes
Species: Lestes concinnus
Common name(s): Brown spreadwing; Dusky spreadwing
Thai name(s): แมลงปอเข็มปีกแผ่อีสาน
Habitat: Mostly found in long grasses of open, baron fields in the lowlands
Province(s) sighted: Widespread (Khon Kaen).
Sightings (by me): Fairly common (but you have to search barren fields)
Province(s) sighted: Widespread (Khon Kaen).
Sightings (by me): Fairly common (but you have to search barren fields)
In flight (that I have seen): March-December
Another Lestes species, and the first one I ever saw in Khon Kaen, is Lestes concinnus. It seems to be a fairly common species, but one you have to go in search for, as I have found it often well away from any water source in open, barren fields. Therefore, I haven't seen one for a fairly long time, except when they pop up at marshland from time to time.
The male
The male is a light or tan brown in colour. I spotted this specimen in Khon Kaen in marshland area.
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The male sometimes folded his wings back when I approached. Maybe some kind of camouflage defence mechanism ... to add to the brown body over dry brown mud and dry brown sticks!
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The female
The female is almost identical to the male, only the caudal appendages differ and the abdomen is more robust.
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Here's a female I found dead in a cobweb ...
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I have seen this species all over Khon Kaen, from lakes to open featureless fields without any water supply. I have seen specimens from March-December but they seem very scarce nowadays.
Dear Dennis.
ReplyDeleteQuite a time ago I was striken by these your photos as I never heard L. concinnus gets blueish or greenish. Asahina describes it as entirely pale browhist tinted insect", and so I saw it many times and so are the second and fourth your photos which you suppose to show young individuals. Also the broad dark dorsal stripe in the 'adult male' is strange.
What I am trying to say: the bluish ones are Lestes thoracicus Laidlaw. I see two characteristic dots on the metepisternum of the prothorax, don't I? Asahina points at these dots and describes the colour as 'bluish olive' and wrote 'abdomen mat black dorsally' for the male, isn't so in yours? What is also characteristic for the species but not seen here: the pterostigma dark inside and light outside.
So, my very cautious congratulations with one more species.
Were these 'mature' damsels truly common in Khon Kaen?
The 'immatures' seem to be true concinnus.
P. S. Did you get two my recent mails (with the paper draft and the Cambodian report?)
No, congratulations are firm, nevertheless!
ReplyDeleteThe two photos on asia-dragonfly.net do show the pterostigm as needed.
Hi Dr. Oleg. Many many thanks for the information and the new ID!!! I have now moved the photos to their own blog page. Also, yes, I have received all recent emails... I have looked through them briefly, but I am extremely busy at the moment. I will read and comment later today. Many thanks once again.
ReplyDeleteDear sir, I have doubt between Lestes umbrinus and concinnus. The specimens we have from India are having a thin dorsal black line on the last abdominal segments. So, I need your help to confirm these two species. Do you have any umbrinus in Thailand?
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Prosenjit