207. Macrogomphus parallelogramma albardae Selys, 1878

Number: 207

Family: Gomphidae

Genus: Macrogomphus

Species: Macrogomphus parallelogramma albardae

Common name(s): N/A

Synonym(s): N/A 

Habitat: Lowland forested stream (shallow and sandy-bottomed)

Province(s) sighted: Below Hala below-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary (Narathiwat) 

Sightings (by me): 3-4 males

In flight (that I have seen): April    

Species easily confused with: Macrogomphus matsukii

My last 'new species' for my records from Narathiwat is a beauty. At a shallow and sandy-bottomed stream I instantly noticed a fairly large Gomphid. As I closed in, I knew it was a Macrgomphus species but it flew away before I got decent shots of it. I continued wading through the stream and noticed at least 2 other males. Both of these were far easier to approach and I managed to snap away, though one was clinging on to grass which made photography difficult. I also managed to get fairly decent shots of the appendages and, therefore, was able to get a solid ID when I returned back to base. It turns out to be Macrogomphus parallelogramma albardae a species that is known from the south of Thailand. I was really happy to see it and it is the second I have managed to find in the genus. Sadly, the female escaped my lens... until next time!

The male.

The Appendages.
The easiest way to separate most Gomphids! Always get close-ups if you can.

206. Prodasineura collaris (Selys, 1860)

Number: 206

Family: Platycnemididae 

Genus: Prodasineura

Species: Prodasineura collaris

Common name(s): Collared Threadtail

Synonym(s): Alloneura collaris Selys, 1860, Alloneura dohrni Krüger, 1898

Habitat: Seepage/overflow from the road that became a tiny stream

Province(s) sighted: Hala below-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary (Narathiwat) 

Sightings (by me): 1 male, 1 female 

In flight (that I have seen): April    

Species easily confused with: Prodasineura doisuthepensis

Though beautiful little damsels, Prodasineura species are difficult to get good photos of as they tend to hang around the edges of streams and very low down. It was no different when I saw a male Prodasineura collaris. As light was fading fast, I managed to spot a male on my first day deep down perched over a tiny trickle. However, with the light almost gone so too did my chances of getting anything worthy of a good photo.

Two days later, I returned to the same spot and there was a female Prodasineura species on a stick just above a collection of leaves over seepage almost in the exact same place as the male. It was clearly a female P. collaris and she was fairly happy to let me snap away. Content with my shot of the female, I decided to go after the male once more. I pushed my way through bushes and dropped down about 5-6 feet to where there was a little bit more seepage/trickle and there he was. This time I managed to get a few fairly decent photos, especially as he was in such an awkward place. 

The male.
It is easy to ID this species and I am pretty sure it gets its name from the distinct blue band across its collar (see close-up)!

The female.
The female is like most other females in the genus but it has a blueish tinge to it and fortunately for ID purposes, it was the only species in the area.

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!

204. Vestalis amethystina Lieftinck, 1965

Number: 204

Family: Calopterygidae

Genus: Vestalis

Species: Vestalis amethystina

Common name(s): Common Demoiselle

Synonym(s): N/A

Habitat: Fairly large exposed shallow river (but hidden in the foliage)

Province(s) sighted: Trail at the Research Centre, Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary (Narathiwat) 

Sightings (by me): Two males

In flight (that I have seen): April    

Species easily confused with: Vestalis anne; Vestalis gracilis gracilis; Vestalis amoena

Another Vestalis species I managed to spot was Vestais amethystina. However, unlike V. amoena where, if you found one, you found several, this species was in seriously low numbers. Maybe it was the wrong time of the year or they were just out of sight that day. I did manage to spot two males along a short and manicured trail that runs near the river at the research centre. Looking through bins I could clearly make out the 'V' nick in the appendages but my shots of the appendages are not so clear. I also found this species to be far more skittish and it took an age to get the shots I got... so I am happy for now. I can find this species in Kanchanburi down, so I should see him again someday -- and I really hope to spot the female too as she eluded me this time round.

The Male
The male is exactly the same as V. amoena and can only be separated by its appendages. However, I wonder if they like slightly different habitats?

The second male...

 The Appendages... you can just about make out the 'V' nick in the superior appendages (if you look carefully enough).

Sadly, I didn't get to see the female this time...

203. Vestalis amoena Selys, 1853

Number: 203

Family: Calopterygidae

Genus Vestalis

Species: Vestalis amoena

Common name(s):  Metallic Green Demoiselle

Synonym(s): N/A

Habitat: Mostly lowland forested small, sandy-bottomed streams

Province(s) sighted: To Mo Community Forest and streams below Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary (Narathiwat) 

Sightings (by me): Locally common

In flight (that I have seen): April    

Species easily confused with: Vestalis anne; Vestalis gracilis gracilis; Vestalis amethystina

I love Vestalis species and was overjoyed to spot two species known from the west/south of Thailand. The first one Vestalis amoena is most certainly the most common in Narathiwat. It seemed to prefer the trees at the edges of small, shallow and somewhat sandy-bottomed streams and is restricted to the very south of Thailand, whereas V. amethystina is found as high up as Kanchanaburi and I only saw it once at the large river that runs through Hala-Bala WS. Superficially, they look identical and the only way to separate the two species is by viewing their appendages. This is, of course, easier said than done. I did manage to get decent shots of the appendages. The appendages of V. amoena has a smooth bulbous end, whereas V. amethystina has a distinctive nick, otherwise they are impossible to separate. The males of both species were incredibly difficult to approach whereas the female of V. amoena was a little more cooperative.

The male
The male looks like other males in the genus... and totally awesome. How can anyone not love these big clumsy dragons that seem to plop from leaf to leaf in order to totally avoid being photographed but still manage to watch you!?!

Another male...

And the appendages...

The Female
The females were a little more cooperative

202. Tyriobapta torrida Kirby, 1889

Number: 202 

Family: Libellulidae

Genus: Tyriobapta

Species: Tyriobapta torrida

Common name(s): Tree Hugger

Synonym(s): N/A

Habitat: On a concrete post near a trickle of water and a small stream

Province(s) sighted: Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary and To Mo Community Forest (Narathiwat) 

Sightings (by me): 2 males 

In flight (that I have seen): April    

Species easily confused with: -- 

The first 'new' southern species I saw when I arrived at Hala-Bala WS was a bit of a surprise. Not because of the species, but because of the fact that it was happily 'hugging' a concrete post. In fact, once I managed to get decent photos I moved too much as it simply flew to the next post... we are, of course, talking about the awesome Tyriobapta torrida, commonly known as the 'Tree Hugger'. However, here I get the impression that they are as much at home on posts as they are on trees! He did eventually fly slightly further away and onto a tree when I attracted the attention of a few locals. Maybe it should be renamed as the Concrete Post Hugger, though I am not sure that this name is as nice haha. 

I was also able to catch the male with my fingers for a few quick snaps before he flew to -- you guessed it -- another concrete post!

I also saw a second male a stream lower down but this one was most certainly on a tree and was far more skittish. Sadly, I didn't get to see a female and I really wanted to as they are very different in appearance. Until the next time!

The male
He is easy to identify (if you can find it) due to its distinctive blue/clear wings.

The first male on 'his' concrete post

The second male at the stream

The first male now in hand...

201. Dysphaea dimidiata dimidiata Selys, 1853

No: 201 / Family: Euphaeidae / Genus: Dysphaea

Name: Dysphaea dimidiata dimidiata / Black Velvetwing / แมลงปอเข็มปีกแคบครึ่งดํา

Habitat: Lowland forested and sandy streams
Province(s) sighted: Narathiwat; Yala; Songkhla
In flight: April & August / Sightings (by me): Uncommon 

Easily confused with: Dysphaea vanida

Another species that I hoped to see as it seems common in the south was Dysphaea dimidiata dimidiata. I did manage to spot a small number of males, but each one was as difficult to approach as the next. I first saw two males battling it out with a Gomphidia abbotti abbotti on a fallen tree overhanging the River Narwi. They were so skittish that I ended up literally having to swim to the other side of the river and creep up on them... you can imagine how hard that was. Eventually, one settled down and I managed to fire off a few decent shots of it in blazing sunshine -- though  did have to swim around quite a lot to get all the shots I wanted. So, another one in the bag, though this attempt did mess up my camera for a day. 

I also managed to spot a couple more males along the same stretch of river and I saw a solitary male at a shallow and sandy stream on the lower reaches. Fortunately, I was able to see a few more specimens when I returned in August, 2025 when I visited Narathiwat, Yala and Songkhla. Though I didn't get to see the female, I did get improvement shots.

Sadly, I didn't get to spot the female, but I am happy enough to get the male!

The male
The male is instantly recognisable with its black and clear wings and is a fairly large damselfly.

However, if you get it at the right angle with the sun on it, it can shimmer purplish-blue. Looks stunning I think.