Number: 213 / Family: Libellulidae / Genus: Lyriothemis
Species: Lyriothemis elegantissima / Elegant Wide-bellied Dragonfly*
Provinces sighted: Chaiyaphum
Sightings (by me): Rare
In flight: July-August
Species easily confused with: Lyriothemis sp.; Lyriothemis sp. 2
*The only common name I could find was 'Forest Chaser' but with so many common names for this genus and none really reflecting it well, I decided to name all species in the genus to "Wide-bellied Dragonflies'. Also, I kept the the descriptive part as 'Elegant' taken from the species name, so the Elegant Wide-bellied Dragonfly.
Well, I had seen this species on numerous occasions... or so I thought. I have come across a number of similar-looking red Lyriothemis species. However, I recently saw the true form of Lyriothemis elegantissima, commonly known as the Forest Chaser. In fact, I think I only saw it because the more common Lyriothemis species (yet to be described) was absent. Maybe I have noticed it before but overlooked it! Similar to the others in many ways but it has heavy black markings on the thorax and on the end segments of the abdomen. The key, however, seems to be the genitalia. It is possible that the other two Lyriothemis species are, in fact, the same species but they are most certainly not L. elegantissima! It seems to prefer heaily tree-lined swampy areas. Though I only managed to get records shots of it. I returned the following week and managed to get much better shots of the male in the gloom and I have since captured excellent photos of the female.
The Male
The male is stunning with its incredibly broad abdomen that is black with prominent yellow spots and bright red dorsally, as well as dirty yellow stripes with a dusting of brown on a black thorax. Note the size of the genitalia.
The Female
Upon return, looking for the male once more, I managed to spot a female at the exact location and was happy to let me fire away!
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