120: Dysphaea gloriosa (Fraser, 1938)

Number: 120 / Family: Euphaeidae / Genus: Dysphaea 

Species: Dysphaea gloriosa

Common name(s): Glorious Velvetwing
Thai name(s): N/A
Habitat: Forested Rocky Streams 

Location(s): Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Ratchasima, Petchabun, Loei, Trat 

In flight: April-July / Sightings (by me): Locally common

Species easily confused with: Euphaea o. ochracea

*As there is no common name, I took the species name 'gloriosa' meaning 'Glorious' and 'Velvetwing' being the most consistent name given to the genus, Dysphaea.

A species that confused me so much was Dysphaea gloriosa. It looks so much like Euphaea ochracea, it is unbelievable. But when I saw it fly, it looks so different and thought that it must be a new species. It is bigger, the wings are solid ochre and it flies completely differently (the wings tend to move in a circular motion). The caudal appendages are much longer too. I sent photos to Noppadon Makbun and he confirmed that it was Dysphaea gloriosa, which I have named the Glorious Velvetwing, so a new species for me! Since then I have seen this species at numerous locations and can be the dominant species.

Anyway, it taught me a lesson. If you see a damselfly that looks slightly different... take lots of photos as it might be a new species!

The Male

It really is a stunning river dweller that has very long wings and are an obvious ochre colour. It is easily confused with Euphaea ochracea but the wings and the way it fly make it easier to pick out in the field.

Interestingly, this male has a distinct black tip and the whole population (15+ specimens) at a small stream on Koh Kood, Trat, were all the same. 

Here he is in a more natural position. They tend to 'hug' whatever they land on (large logs and rocks)...

Male in the hand. This shows how much larger it is than E. ochracea.

The Copula

Here is my only ever sighting of a tandem, which I saw at Tat Ton National Park in Chaiyaphum where there the species is abundant. Only a record shot, but very hard to see this.

The Female

I did manage to spot a solitary female on a cable high above a road in Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary as it started to pour down. Here is the best I could get using a 400mm lens.

Here is how I first saw it... just as the rains came.

The 'Teneral' Female ???

When I visited a small stream near a resort I was staying at recently (8/7/12), I noticed a number of males. Very early the following morning I noticed a newly emerged female. Unfortunately, Euphaea masoni was also present. However, I have seen a number of females of that species and this one seemed larger. I could be wrong, though. Can anyone shed light on the matter? I know identifying teneral specimens can be very tough.

119: Hydrobasileus croceus (Brauer, 1867)

Number: 119 / Family: Libellulidae / Genus: Hydrobasileus

Species:  Hydrobasileus croceus / Amber-winged Glider

Habitat: Exposed Forested Ponds and Lakes

Location(s): Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Ratchasima, Petchabun, Ubon Ratchathani

In flight: April-August / Sightings (by me): Locally common
Species easily confused with: N/A

A large dragonfly I saw battling right in the middle of a natural pond at Khao Yai National Park, was Hydrobasileus croceus, Commonly known as the Amber-winged Glider. There were two males and a female, which never seemed to land. Instead carried out a number of threat displays, probably because the female was full of eggs (they look bright yellow/green at the end of the female's abdomen (dragonfly closest to the bottom of the picture). Only 1 male seemed to land and that was at an inaccessible tree on the other side of the pond (just my luck!). However, though quite small this image is good enough to identify the species, especially the male top left. They were amazing to watch and were extremely loud when they collided with each other. I hope to spot one in the resting position one day for better quality pictures. Since then, I have seen this species a number of Times. It certainly isn't common for me, but if you do see it, you should see several at once. But, the best thing ever, was that, in 2022, almost 14 years after first seeing it ALWAYS fly, walking down a forested path with my brother, Paul, I could see one perching. Yes! P-E-R-C-H-I-N-G! It was a male but I was only armed with my 180mm macro lens and it was high up. Fortunately, Paul is a bird nerd so he had his 100-400mm lens... I switched over and got pretty good shots!

The Male

The male is medium-sized and is usually always in flight, battling away (see below). However looking closely, you can clearly see the zig-zag pattern at the base of its abdomen  which is the easy way to ID it.

Not the world's best shot, but you can clearly see the markings at the base on the wings, which is the easy way to ID it. 

This is usually all you can ever get... believe me. I have tried countless times!

118: Tramea transmarina euryale (Brauer, 1867)

Number: 118 / Family: Libellulidae / Genus:  Tramea

Species:  Tramea transmarina euryale / Saddlebag Glider

Habitat: Upland and Lowland Forested Ponds and Lakes

Location(s): Widespread

In flight: April-November / Sightings (by me): Locally common 

Another species I saw alongside Indothemis limbata limbata, was Tramea transmarina euryale, commonly known as the Saddlebag Glider. There were 4-5 males constantly patrolling the edges of the pond. I watched them for about 30 minutes and almost gave up on waiting for one land to take photos. However, my luck was in and a male landed in the bushes behind me, just while there was enough light left. Once it had landed, it wasn't easily frightened and both photos below are uncropped, using a 300 mm lens. Since seeing it for the first time in 2011, I have seen this species at numerous locations around Thailand and is widespread and locally common.

The Male

The thorax is brown and the abdomen is a strong red, with prominent dorsal marks on S8-9. The caudal appendages are black and very long. There is also red colouration to the base of the wings.

The Female

The female is similar to the male, but more of a brownish colour, rather than bright red. This one I saw in Narathiwat.

The 'Teneral' Female

This female had recently emerged. I managed to carefully collect her for a quick photo...

Before I released her unharmed...

The Copula

It's very rare for me to see a copula let alone be able to approach it so you could say I was just a little bit happy with this form Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary.

And what was also of note was the number of mites on the female... yummy!

117: Rhyothemis plutonia (Selys, 1883)

Number: 117 / Family: Libellulidae / Genus: Rhyothemis

Species:  Rhyothemis plutonia / Greater Blue Wing Flutterer*

Habitat: Exposed Weedy Marshland (Warm Water), Ponds and Lakes (Lowlands to Uplands)
Province(s) sighted: Widespread

In flight: April-July / Sightings (by me): Locally Common

Species easily confused with: Rhyothemis aterrima

*The given common name is the Great Blue Wing, but I have added 'Flutter' to be consistent with other species in the genus, so the Great Blue Wing Flutterer.

FINALLY! I managed to capture photos of this species. I had seen a solitary male twice before, but they continually flew high above the treetops giving me no hope of photographing them. Then, at a tiny pond/marshy area with warm water, I saw two males fighting each other. After each battle they would land back in the same position. They did this over and over again. Eventually, I crept down some steep banking and through the marshy area. I got it! In fact, these are completely uncropped and I was amazed how they didn't just fly away. So there it was, my 3rd species from this genus, Rhyothemis plutonia. Since writing this blog I have seen this species all over the country. It is seemingly very common but still very beautiful.

The Male

Simply stunning is the best way to describe this species. It is almost completely black, but has sparkling metallic green and pink/orange colouration to the wings, which gives it its name.

These are the best natural photos I have managed so far. 

This one I caught recently at Nam Nao... it had just been in a battle with another male, hence the damaged wing. 

The Female...

Unlike the few others I have seen (mostly as part of a copula that lasts for a few moments), she sat there happily, letting me get close to her (though it was windy and she was hanging on I think). These photos are uncropped. The female is the same as the male, but the abdomen is more robust. Also, she seems to have more green colouration to her wings and no pink, though this could vary.

116: Onychothemis testacea testacea (Laidlaw, 1902)

Number: 116

Family: Libellulidae

Genus:  Onychothemis

Species:  Onychothemis testacea testacea

Common name(s): Stellate River Hawk

Habitat: Forested Streams and Rivers

Province(s) sighted: Chaiyaphum, Loei, Nakhorn Ratchasima, Petchabum, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Udon Thani

Sightings (by me): Uncommon
In flight (that I have seen): April-July 

At Khao Yai, I stayed at a nice resort, called Jungle House Hotel. It was good in the fact that I was about a 5 minute walk to a river, about 8 metres across and quite deep (it is used for elephant trekking as I found out). I saw a new species from the other side of the river and tried to wade across. It got too deep and I forgot that I had my macro lens in my pocket! Now I need to replace the contacts/electronic parts, which hopefully won't be so expensive. I addition, the blasted dragonfly flew away!

I returned two days later to the same spot in hope of seeing it again. Unfortunately, there were no specimens present. So I walked along the bank and noticed a really shallow part of the river (about 6 inches deep). I slowly waded through it and saw 5-6 individuals of the species I had seen earlier. They were fighting amongst themselves under a bush which overhung the river. Every now and then, one would land briefly but enough for me to take some photos. Upon my return home I discovered it to be a male Onychothemis testacea testacea.

The Male

The male is a large dragonfly, distinguished by its prominent yellow bands along the abdomen and bright green eyes. For some reason, it reminds me of a classic-looking dragonfly. This male loved that stick! He would return to it over and over again and let me get really close.

Another male from Sakhon Nakhon...

115: Indothemis limbata limbata (Selys, 1891)

Number: 115 / Family: Libellulidae / Genus:  Indothemis

Species:  Indothemis limbata limbata / Restless Demon
Habitat: Exposed Ponds and Lakes (Uplands and Lowlands)

Province(s) sighted: Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Petchabun

Sightings (by me): Locally Common
In flight (that I have seen): February-November

Species easily confused with: Indothemis carnatica

On the way back from Khao Yai NP to a resort where I was staying, I noticed a natural, established pond, just inside the national park. Here I instantly saw 3 new species (for me), one of which was Indothemis limbata limbata. There were 2 males present at the water's edge. I also saw a female very briefly in flight and had no opportunity to photograph it. The female is like the male, but brown/beige in colour. Small in size, they were constantly being attacked by other species and didn't stay still for long. They perched on long stemmed grasses which jutted out over the pond and flew to another blade, the second there was any movement. Even using a 300mm lens it was hard to get near them. I did manage to capture a few photos though. Since then, I have visited Nam Nao environs and this species was very common here. I have photographed many specimens from Nam Nao. Since then, I have spotted this species quite regularly at numerous locations. Commonly known as the Restless Demon, it is easy to see why as it chases anything that moves, making photography quite tough.

The Male

This small male is dark in colouration, with a black head/thorax and a royal blue abdomen. Caudal appendages blue also. The base of the hind wings and tips are black and the rest of the wings are royal blue. 

Blue nose...

This photo shows just how blue the male's face is. Looks rather nice, I think.

The 'Teneral' Male...

This male is still yellow. It will become blue/royal blue with age. This male was far back from the waterside in the bushes. When frightened, it flew straight up and into the treetops. Probably where all the females are!

The Female

I think this is an old female, with a brown thorax and blue abdomen - the only time I have seen it like this.

The 'Young' Female

I was lucky enough to spot a young female. This one was in Khao Yai NP, but I have seen it quite a lot.

114: Idionyx thailandica (Hämäläinen, 1985)

Number: 114 / Family: Synthemistidae / Genus: Idionyx

Species: Idionyx thailandica / Thai Forest Shadow*
Habitat: Tree-lined Forested Streams
Province(s) sighted: Chiang Main, Nakhon Nayok, Phitsanulok
Sightings (by me): Rare
In flight (that I have seen): March - July

On the way back to Khon Kaen from Kanchanaburi, I made a quick visit to Nakhon Nayok. The first two waterfalls I arrived at were completely dry (then again I shouldn't choose March to hunt for dragonflies!). Finally, I arrived at Nang Rong Waterfall, which had a decent amount of water running through it. Within two minutes, I spotted a small teneral male, which I thought was Tetrathemis platyptera, which I have seen numerous times before. It was only when got closer that I noticed it was something different. It was a slow mover and I was even able to catch it with my fingers, in order to take photos, before I released him safely. I looked on the Internet and thought it was Idionyx thailandica, a new species for me. This was confirmed by Noppadon Makbun. I have since seen this species in Chiang Mai and Phitsanulok, though still don't have good photos!

The Male

The male has distinct black and yellow legs and swirling yellow on black thoracic markings. The caudal appendages are also large in size.

A second male hanging from the underside of a road bridge during rain. This was high up and I even used a 400mm lens just to get these.

The Female

Recently, I managed to get decent a single shot of the female in Chiang Mai... literally one shot... gone.