183: Ceriagrion pallidum Fraser, 1933

Number: 183 / Family: Coenagrionidae / Genus: Ceriagrion   
Species: Ceriagrion pallidum / Pale Marsh Dart*   
Habitat: Forested Ponds  
Province(s) sighted: Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum
Sightings (by me): Rare 
In flight (that I have seen): July - September    
Species easily confused with: Ceriagrion fallax; Ceriagrion indochinense

*As there is no common name, I have used 'pallid' from the species name and given the genus the name 'Marsh Dart'.

A species I had been looking for at Phu Khieo WS for two years, has at last made an appearance. However, maybe I have seen it before, but simply overlooked it. At first glance it looks a lot like a young male C. indochinense or a young C. fallax (though I haven't yet seen this species at this location). However, luckily for me, it was actually the former species that helped me to ID it. Thanks to help and information from Noppadon Makbun, I knew it was similar to C. fallax but much paler. Then, yesterday, two male C. indochinense harried a slimmer much paler specimen into the reeds and it just looked different. I wasn't sure but following closer inspection and a few photos, it was in the bag: Ceriagrion pallidum was mine. It is exactly as the description and alongside C. indochinense, it is fairly easy to separate. Fortunately, I even managed to spot other males at different ponds and several females even made an appearance. Better still, this species is fairly easy to approach and not skittish like similar species in the genus. Now I just need to find C. nigroflavum (if it is actually now present in Thailand) to complete the "set" of known Ceriagrion species in Thailand, though there are more I am sure.

I would just like to add that I believe this to be more common and should be at different locations, though it is most definitely easy to overlook. Next time you see a pale specimen, don't simply pass it off as an immature C. indochinense or C. fallax. Take a closer look and you never know. 

The Male

As you can see, it is similar to other yellow species in the genus but is a little more pale as with the common name I gave, the Pale Marsh Dart. It also has a blacked tip to the abdomen, but like the rest of it, it looks washed out. Another feature are the small dots on the thorax of both the male and the female.

The 'Teneral' Male

Here is a freshly emerged male, which I actually saw at the start of July, though I couldn't confirm it was correct until I found mature males. That said, it isn't really that different from the mature males, just even paler.

That said, here is another newly emerged male I saw at Phu Wiang National Park in Khon Kaen, which I dismissed as a young C. indocchinense for about a year. 

The Female
This female looks like a typical Ceriagrion female. However, these colours, though subtle, are quite unique for the genus. It also has very pale olive-coloured eyes. Though it still has those little specks/dots on the thorax.

The 'Young' Female

Now, I could be wrong. This could be the older female than the one above. I am not sure. However, the abdomen on this one is quite pale and the thorax is greenish. Any guesses?