Monday, June 4, 2012

Nam Nao: A Year in the Making (May)



Location 1: Helicopter Pad Lake, Nam Nao National Park, Petchabun. 
Date: Saturday,  26th May, 2012.
Weather: Overcast for most of the day, then torrential rain (stopping me visiting the headquarters)
Expectations of recording additional species (for my list): Low
Leech bites: 16 (my record, unfortunately!)


A vast improvement over last month's weather, May turned out to be OK. Though it eventually turned to heavy rain (it seems really early this year), I managed to spot four new additions for the year, and one new species for the lake (though I know Noppadon Makbun has previously spotted the species there). New for the year, are: Ceriagrion chaoi, Rhyothemis plutonia, Rhyothemis triangularis and Trithemis festiva. New for the lake is Indothemis carnatica. Like my previous visit, as I was preparing to visit the river at the headquarters, the heavens opened and it would have been a pointless task visiting. I will return in a couple of weeks and make a beeline for the headquarters.

Here are a few decent photos I managed to get last time out:

These are the best natural photos of Rhyothemis plutonia I have taken. He dropped down right in front of me, as the winds picked up. He held onto a strand of grass for dear life ... even though it was extremely windy, these came out very well indeed.




I saw two male Ceriagrion chaoi on this day, and this one was happy to let me shoot away in front of him. Luckily, though it was windy, I managed to get decent shots.



There were many many females of Pseudothemis jorina. I saw more females today than I have seen in all my time in the field. They were very difficult to get anywhere near though.


Nam Nao Helicopter Pad (added species from the last visit, bold; new species for the lake, blue; species not seen from last visit, red)

Fam. Coenagrionidae
Aciagrion tillyardi (Laidlaw, 1919) ♂ ♀ [common]
Agriocnemis femina (Brauer, 1868) ♂ ♀ [common]
Agriocnemis nana (Laidlaw, 1914)  [very common]
Agriocnemis pygmaea (Rambur, 1842) ♂ ♀ [common]
Argiocnemis rubescens rubeola Selys, 1877) ♀ [♂ 2, ♀ 1]
Ceriagrion chaoi (Schmidt, 1964) ♂ [2]
Ceriagrion indochinense Asahina, 1967  [uncommon]
Ischnura senegalensis (Rambur, 1842) ♂ ♀ [fairly common]
Onychargia atrocyana Selys, 1865 ♂ ♀ [extremely common, especially copula]
Pseudagrion rubriceps rubriceps (Selys, 1876)

Fam. Platycnemididae
Coeliccia chromothorax (Selys, 1891)  [2, 1]
Copera ciliata (Selys, 1863) ♂ ♀ [extremely common]
Copera marginipes (Rambur, 1842) ♂ [common]

Fam. Protoneuridae
Prodasineura autumnalis (Fraser, 1922) ♂ ♀ [extremely common]

Fam. Gomphidae
Ictinogomphus decoratus (Selys, 1854) ♂ [common]

Fam. Libellulidae
Acisoma panorpoides panorpoides (Rambur, 1842) ♂ ♀ [uncommon]
Brachydiplax farinosa (Krüger 1902) ♂ ♀ [♂ common]
Brachythemis contaminata (Fabricius, 1793) ♂ ♀ [common]
Diplacodes trivialis (Rambur, 1842) ♂ ♀ [fairly common]
Indothemis limbata (Selys, 1891) ♂ ♀ [♂ extremely common]
Indothemis carnatica (Fabricius, 1798) ♂ [2] 
Neurothemis fulvia (Drury, 1773) ♂  [uncommon]
Orthetrum chrysis (Selys, 1891) ♂ [fairly common]
Orthetrum sabina sabina (Drury, 1770) ♂ [common]
Pseudothemis jorina Förster, 1904 ♀ [common]
Rhodothemis rufa (Rambur, 1842)  ♂ [1]
Rhyothemis plutonia (Selys, 1883) ♂♀ [♂ very common, ♀ 1, part of a copula]
Rhyothemis triangularis (Kirby, 1889) ♂ [♂ 3]
Tholymis tillarga (Fabricius, 1798) ♂ [fairly common]
Trithemis aurora (Burmeister, 1839) ♂ ♀ [extremely common]
Trithemis festiva (Rambus, 1842) ♂ [2]

Next visit: mid June 
(primarily to visit the river at the headquarters)

Nam Nao: A Year in the Making (April)


Location 1: Helicopter Pad Lake, Nam Nao National Park, Petchabun. 
Date: Saturday, 28th April, 2012.
Weather: Blazing sunshine, then torrential rain
Expectations of recording additional species (for my list): Low
Leech bites: 7 (all while hiding from the rain)

First of all, I apologise for my unbelievably late post. I have been very busy on my house and not had that much time to do anything. Also, the day I visited in April was extremely poor. I only had about an hour there before the heavens opened and that put paid to my day (and for the month, really). The day started brightly enough,  and I spotted a number of common species. Unfortunately, I spent the following 3 hours or so sheltering under tree cover along with lots of leeches. Although the rain eased later in the day, it was a complete washout in terms of dragonflies. I didn't even get the opportunity to visit the river at the headquarters, unfortunately. Nor did I get any photos worth showing.


Nam Nao Helicopter Pad (added species from the last visit, bold; new species for the lake, blue; species not seen from last visit, red)

UNFORTUNATELY, THE FOLLOWING CANNOT BE CLASSED AS 100% ACCURATE, AS I DIDN'T SPEND THE WHOLE DAY THERE AND THE WEATHER WAS EXTREMELY BAD:

Fam. Coenagrionidae
Aciagrion tillyardi (Laidlaw, 1919) ♂ ♀ [common]
Agriocnemis femina (Brauer, 1868) ♂ ♀ [common]
Agriocnemis nana (Laidlaw, 1914)  [very common]
Agriocnemis pygmaea (Rambur, 1842) ♂ ♀ [uncommon]
Argiocnemis rubescens rubeola Selys, 1877) ♂ [1]
Ceriagrion indochinense Asahina, 1967  [1]
Ischnura aurora (Brauer, 1865)
Ischnura senegalensis (Rambur, 1842) ♂ ♀ [common]
Onychargia atrocyana Selys, 1865 ♂ ♀ [common]
Pseudagrion rubriceps rubriceps (Selys, 1876) ♂ [1]

Fam. Lestidae
Indolestes inflatus (Fraser 1933)
Orolestes octomaculata (Martin, 1902)

Fam. Platycnemididae
Coeliccia chromothorax (Selys, 1891)  [1]
Copera ciliata (Selys, 1863) ♂ ♀ [extremely common]
Copera marginipes (Rambur, 1842) ♂ [common]

Fam. Protoneuridae
Prodasineura autumnalis (Fraser, 1922) ♂ ♀ [common]

Fam. Gomphidae
Ictinogomphus decoratus (Selys, 1854) ♂ [common]

Fam. Libellulidae
Acisoma panorpoides panorpoides (Rambur, 1842) ♂ ♀ [common]
Brachydiplax farinosa (Krüger 1902) ♂ ♀ [♂ common]
Brachythemis contaminata (Fabricius, 1793) ♂ ♀ [common]
Cratilla lineata (Brauer, 1878) 
Crocothemis servilia (Drury, 1773)
Diplacodes trivialis (Rambur, 1842)
Indothemis limbata (Selys, 1891) ♂ ♀ [♂ common]
Lathrecista asiatica (Fabricius, 1798)
Neurothemis fulvia (Drury, 1773) ♂  [1]
Neurothemis intermedia (Rambur, 1842)
Orthetrum chrysis (Selys, 1891) ♂ [fairly common]
Orthetrum pruinosum (Burmeister, 1839 ♂ [1] 
Orthetrum sabina sabina (Drury, 1770) ♂ [common]
Palpopleura s. sexmaculata (Fabricius, 1787)
Pseudothemis jorina Förster, 1904 ♂ [common]
Rhodothemis rufa (Rambur, 1842)  ♂ [1]
Tholymis tillarga (Fabricius, 1798) 
Trithemis aurora (Burmeister, 1839) ♂ ♀ [extremely common]