136: Indothemis carnatica (Fabricius, 1798)

Number: 136 / Family: Libellulidae / Genus: Indothemis

Species:  Indothemis carnatica / Light-tipped Demon
Habitat: Exposed Upland Ponds and Lakes
Province(s) sighted: Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen, Petchabun, Loei, Udon Thani

In flight: July-November / Sightings (by me): Uncommon

Species easily confused with: Indothemis limbata limbata

Yesterday (23/07), I visited a number of locations en route to Nam Nao town centre, along road 2216. I decided to visit this area, as it is all uplands. Firstly, I visited a waterfall that looked like dragonfly paradise. It turned out to be N. chinensis heaven, as that was pretty much all that was there, though there were hundreds of them.

I then decided to travel along the road and stop at any waterway that looked good. 8 kms south of Nam Nao town, there was a small farmer's pond.  Here, I instantly noticed a small blue dragonfly that could have easily been mistaken for D. trivialis. However, when I reached the pond, I noticed that there were a number of them and it was definitely genus Indothemis (I had seen I. limbata earlier in the season). Upon closer inspection, I realised it was most certainly a new species for me. When I returned home I discovered that there are only two species in the genus, so it must be Indothemis carnatica and searching on the Internet showed my ID to be correct.

Since I first saw this species, commonly known as the Restless Demon, I have now seen it at Nam Nao NP, Phu Ruea NP and a small pond 70 kms east of Udon Thani - EVEN a tiny man-made pond outside Animal Hospital in Khon Kaen University.

The Male

Similar to I. limbata, but different in a number of ways. Both thorax and abdomen are uniform royal blue (I. limbata is black thorax/royal blue abdomen). I. carnatica has a black frons (face), where I. limbata is blue. Also, the main thing for me, is at the base of the wings. I. limbata has a fairly large patch of black basally, whereas I. carnatica is very small in comparison.

Another male...

The only time I have caught it in flight!

A 'Young' Male

Here is a male, which, at this stage looks very much like the female ...

The Female...

The female is far less common than the male and I have spotted only very few females. The mature female is similar to that of the male, except it is more robust. They are a dull brown/yellow colour.

I initially thought that this was A. aethra, as it looks very similar. Though the markings are different, I just thought it was an old female.

The 'Young' Female

The female is most commonly seen at this stage. Similar to the one above but far more fresher and more yellow. It tends to brown as it ages.

Here she is in her natural position... very similar to that of the genus Aethriamanta.

Now in the hand, it gives a good idea of size etc.

Note: the small spot on the labrum (upper lip)

Teneral female

The teneral female is almost identical to that of the teneral male ...

The Copula

One other thing I found interesting about this species. They were abundant at 1 farmer's pond. At all the other ponds I visited (some less than half a kilometre away) there were none, even tough it was the same altitude and same kind of pond/environment. Yet I saw I. limbata present at other ponds, but not the one where I. carnatica was present. Maybe they cannot co-habit... I'm not sure. 


Now I know... yes, they DO co-habit. Noppadon has informed me that he saw both species at Nam Nao Helicopter Pad lake! Thanks for the info, Noppadon.