Number: 250 / Family: Platycnemididae / Genus: Drepanosticta
Species: Drepanosticta sp. / -
Province(s) sighted: Phuket
Habitat: Forested Stream
In flight: October / Sightings (by me): Rare
Species easily confused with: All Drepanosticta Species
Back in October, 2018, I took a trip to Phuket with Beau. Obviously it was a normal holiday but I wasn't giving up the chance to have a good look around for odes. I decided on two places (and an area that Oleg Kosterin found Podolestes coomansi, but I couldn't even find the place, let alone the species. On the whole, I was disappointed with what I found (it was very quiet) but maybe because it was October and I was searching blindly, I don't know. One very interesting species I did manage to find, however, at Khao Phra Thaeo Wildlife Sanctuary in Phuket was a medium-sized Drepanosticta species. Talking to Noppadon Makbun about it, it is probably Drepanosticta khaochongensis which I would simply call Khao Chong's Shadowdamsel! It was one of only a few species there, though it was early. As the day brightened up, hordes of kids turned up screaming and shouting and diving into the water. I don't blame then, but it made life tough going so I moved on. Oddly, I found this specimen at about 7am. I also saw a female but it moved too high and I couldn't get a shot away in the gloom. I would love to simply put it as D. khaochongensis but for now, I will leave it as Drepanosticta sp.
The Male
Medium-sized and quite plain, with only the typical blue patch that gave it away, I managed to pick him up and get a couple of photos but this was 7:00am and it was very dull so this is the best I could get. Any advances on species?
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