Number: 203
Family: Gomphidae
Genus: Megalogomphus
Species: Megalogomphus sumatranus
Common name(s): N/A
Synonym(s): Heterogomphus sumatranus Krüger, 1899; Heterogomphus unicolor, Martin, 1902
Habitat: Lowland exposed and sandy-bottomed forest stream
Province(s) sighted: Small sandy stream , Hala below-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary (Narathiwat)
Sightings (by me): 1 male (fleeting glimpse)
In flight (that I have seen): April-August
Species easily confused with: Megalogomphus icterops
This species was a complete surprise... Wading through a shallow and sandy stream at the lower reaches of Hala-Bala, I came across a large green dragon basking in the late afternoon sunshine. I edged forward but armed with only a 180mm macro lens, I wasn't that confident I would get in a shot. However, before it literally flew very, very far away, I managed to get away one record shot good enough for an ID. It turns out to be Megalogomphus sumatranus (confirmed by Noppadon Makbun) which is known from the south of Thailand. Maybe not the best shot in the world, but sooooo happy to see such a beauty. I tried for a few hours to find again but to no avail. Since then, we returned to the very south and Narathiwat and my brother, Paul, was fortunate enough to see a solitary male below a bridge. On three separate occasions, Noppadon and I returned to the same area and even walked along a long stretch of the river but to no avail! Still, Paul's photos are a massive improvement... until me meet again!
The Male
Quite simply, this is one of the largest and most beautiful species I have ever seen! These are the photos my brother, Paul managed to get... from a narrow stream on the way to the To-Mo area in August, 2025...
This species was a complete surprise... Wading through a shallow and sandy stream at the lower reaches of Hala-Bala, I came across a large green dragon basking in the late afternoon sunshine. I edged forward but armed with only a 180mm macro lens, I wasn't that confident I would get in a shot. However, before it literally flew very, very far away, I managed to get away one record shot good enough for an ID. It turns out to be Megalogomphus sumatranus (confirmed by Noppadon Makbun) which is known from the south of Thailand. Maybe not the best shot in the world, but sooooo happy to see such a beauty. I tried for a few hours to find again but to no avail. Since then, we returned to the very south and Narathiwat and my brother, Paul, was fortunate enough to see a solitary male below a bridge. On three separate occasions, Noppadon and I returned to the same area and even walked along a long stretch of the river but to no avail! Still, Paul's photos are a massive improvement... until me meet again!
The Male
Quite simply, this is one of the largest and most beautiful species I have ever seen! These are the photos my brother, Paul managed to get... from a narrow stream on the way to the To-Mo area in August, 2025...
And here is my terrible attempt with an incredibly skittish male from April, 2018...
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