Friday, November 8, 2013

A very short trip to Khon Kaen

Location: Khon Kaen environs
Date: Friday, 8 November 2013
Areas visited: Heavily tree-lined pond / short canal section about 15 kms outside KK city.
 
Yesterday, I managed to sneak in a very short dragonfly hunting session. Obviously with time constraints, I decided to head towards one of my favourite places in KK. A small, heavily tree-lined pond that takes on the form of a canal-like structure, which can be followed for about 500 metres (though it is extremely difficult). Eventually the canal disappears into open, cultivated farmland. In the past, it has thrown up a number of uncommon species (extremely rare for KK), including; Heliaeschna uninervulata, Camacinia gigantea, Ceriagrion cerinorubellum and Lestes concinnus. It was also the place where I first ever saw Copera chantaburii and was the reason why I returned there. I had lost my original photos from about 4 years back. Not expecting to see much, it turned out that it must be a good year for C. chantaburii - they were everywhere! I got a few good photos of the male and female and was about to go home when I saw a greenish-bodied male Gynacantha sp. I knew straight away that it was G. saltatrix. It was low down in deep grasses and impossible to photograph. I tried to shoo it out of the grasses but it flew away. I followed it deeper into the grasses, all surrounded by heavy tree cover. I was amazed to spot around 10 individuals and a number of G. subinterrupta as well. I even managed to spot my first ever Lathrecista asiatica asiatica at the location to round off the day perfectly ... and bring my total number of species sighted here to 40. Not bad for a little pond in flat, boring Khon Kaen!
 
Best photos of the session:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Species list from the location:
 
   Familyily: Coenagrionidae
Aciagrion borneense
Aciagrion pallidum
Agriocnemis minima
Agriocnemis pygmaea
Ceriagrion cerinorubellum
Ceriagrion indochinense
Ceriagrion praetermissum
Ischnura senegalensis
Pseudagrion microcephalum
Pseudagrion rubriceps rubriceps
 
   Family: Chlorocyphidae
Libellago lineata
 
   Family: Lestidae
Lestes concinnus
 
    Family: Platycnemididae
Copera chantaburii
Copera ciliata
Copera marginipes
 
   Family: Protoneuridae
Prodasineura autumnalis
 
   Family: Aeshnidae
Gynacantha saltatrix
Gynacantha subinterrupta
Heliaeschna uninervulata
 
   Family: Corduliidae
Epophthalmia frontalis frontalis (visual sighting only)
 
   Family: Gomphidae
Ictinogomphus decoratus melaenops
 
   Family: Libellulidae
Acisoma panorpoides
Aethriamanta aethra
Brachydiplax chalybea chalybea
Brachythemis contaminata
Camacinia gigantea
Crocothemis servilia servilia
Diplacodes nebulosa
Diplacodes trivialis
Lathrecista asiatica asiatica
Neurothemis intermedia atalanta
Neurothemis tullia tullia
Orthetrum sabina sabina
Pantala flavescens
Pseudothemis jorina
Rhodothemis rufa
Rhyothemis phyllis phyllis
Rhyothemis variegata variegata
Tholymis tillarga
Urothemis signata signata

2 comments:

  1. Could you kindly upload here a full-size excript of the appendages of the male G. subinterrupta. Those bicoloured upper appendages look somewhat unusual for me, it worth looking at them closely.

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  2. Hi Oleg, these are the best I have .... until the morning. I am to return to the same place to obtain improved shots of both Gynacantha sp. (in a few hours) I will obtain the best I can of the appendages! Cheers, Dennis

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