220. Drepanosticta Sp. (possibly quadrata)

 Number: 220 / Family: Platystictidae / Genus: Drepanosticta
Species: Drepanosticta sp. (probably quadrata) / Singapore Shadowdamsel
Habitat: Lowland forested streams
Provinces: Narathiwat, Yala
Inflight: August / Sightings (by me): Very rare
Species easily confused with: All Drepanosticta species

One species I didn't expect to see and almost walked straight into it was another Platystictidae species. This one is likely to be Drepanosticta quadrata, commonly known as the Singapore Shadowdamsel. I could be wrong and Noppadon will be checking, but it is relatively well known throughout mainland Malaysia down to Signapore, it would make sense. Furthermore, we were lucky enough to spot a couple of females, both fully mature and teneral forms and the spot near the end of the abdomen seems right for this species. So, a great find indeed! If you know it as a different species, please let me know!

The Male
As with all species of Drepanosticta, the male has a striking blue patch, which is the only way to see them as the move in the gloom. I also saw a second male and a teneral male, though I didn't get

The Female

The female is much harder to find than the male as it doesn't boast the blue patch, but with careful searching in the gloom, they can be found. The large spot (I believe) is a good way to ID this species.

Below is a mature female and teneral female.