Sunday, May 13, 2018

205. Megalogomphus sumatranus (Krüger, 1899)

Number: 205
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    
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. 

The male
Quite simply, this is one of the largest and most beautiful species I have ever seen!

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