143: Noguchiphaea yoshikoae (Asahina, 1976)

Number: 143

Family: Calopterygidae

Genus: Noguchiphaea
Species: Noguchiphaea yoshikoae
Common name(s): N/A
Thai name(s): แมลงปอเข็มตาปีกสั้นโยชิโกะ
Habitat: Heavily forested uplands stream (approx. 900-1000 metres)
Province(s) sighted:  Stream/waterfall at Phu Rua National Park (Loei)
Sightings (by me): Fairly common only at this location
In flight (that I have seen): September (though must be longer)

After spotting a new provincial record earlier that day, I arrived at Phu Rua NP. It was too late in the day to look at the river then, so I had to wait until morning. 

A was up at 5 am, coffee, cigarette, some noodles and I was off... I walked down to the river (there are two ways to get there and I took the slippery route, of course). I had to cross a tiny stream that I could hardly see because of seriously heavy mist. Just before the stream, I noticed a male Coeliccia poungyi. Then I looked up and saw a NEW SPECIES right in front of me, sitting in the trees (It was full of dew from the mist). Anyway, I saw this species and then saw many more specimens throughout the day. It turns out to be Noguchiphaea yoshikoae, a species previously recorded only in Chiang Mai and Vietnam, so a new species for me and another provincial record! Two provincial records in one trip AND I saw both male and female!

The mature male

It looks very similar to Vestalis smaragdina, but there are a few differences. It is smaller, has protrusions dorsally on the synthorax and the genitalia is more complex (it has a kind of brownish hook - you can see it if you look closely). Also, the white dorsal patch is solid from S8-10, whereas V. smaragdina it only covers part of S8 (from what I can tell anyway). They also seem less skittish than V. smaragdina.

I spotted several perching high up in this position... looking down on a stupid fat foreigner taking photos of their friends.

In the hand...

This gives an idea of size. This I managed to catch with my fingers.

Here is the genitalia (notice the brownish 'hook')

N. yoshikoae vs. V. smaragdina appendages...

Here you can see another difference between the two species. The caudal appendages are different and the white dorsal patch is different (S8 on N. yoshikoae is solid white, whereas it's only partially covered on V. smaragdina).

(top, N. yoshikoae; bottom, V. smaragdina)

The sub-adult male

The male is the same as the adult, but the dorsal patch on S8-10 and the caudal appendages are grey, not white.

Here's the first specimen I saw at about 6 a.m., which had a lot of early morning dew from the mist.

The teneral male...

I also briefly saw a teneral male, which had clearly only just taken to flight. The bugger still managed to fly high up into the trees before I managed to get really good photos though. Still, this one is OK.

The female

I was also lucky enough to spot the female. At this stream/waterfall, the females were fairly abundant. They are almost identical to the male, but slightly more robust. Also, the protrusions (like little horns) on the synthorax are far more apparent. 

In the hand...

I also caught this female with my fingers. She flew away safely afterwards.

Many, many thanks once again to Noppadon Makbun for confirmation of ID and for providing lots of useful information on the species. 

112: Vestalis anne (Hämäläinen, 1985)

Number: 112
Family: Calopterygidae
Genus: Vestalis
Species: Vestalis anne
Common name(s): N/A
Habitat: Forested upland streams
Location(s) sighted: Sai Yok Yai Waterfall (Kanchanaburi)
Sightings (by me): Uncommon
In flight (that I have seen): March (longer, I'm sure)

Three hyaline-winged (clear) species of the genus Vestalis are almost identical (V. amethystina, V. anne and V. amoena) and the only way to tell them apart is through the anal appendages (which is very difficult to do through photography). I had no idea how to tell from looking at the photos so made sure I took a clear photo of the terminal segments. I sent photos to Noppadon Makbun and he told me that it was Vestalis amoena. Since then, Noppadon has re-looked at my photos and now believes it to be Vestalis anne. (Proves just how difficult it is to tell them apart!) Still, another species for me! 

Patience is key to photographing this genus. Not only do they like dark areas of forest, they are also green. I often first spot this genus (mainly V. gracilis, which has brown tinted wings and is very common) by noticing the leaves or branches moving as though something has just dropped on it. Sometimes it's a damselfly! The other problem is that they are very cautious creatures and often fly away at the first sight of you. If you can stay near them without scaring them, you can slowly inch forward until you are close enough to take good photos. I believe in a way that they begin to trust you, or realise that you are not a threat. Or maybe I'm just becoming crazy!

The male

The male is less cautious than the female, but still a very wary creature. Unlike V. gracilis, the wings are clear.

The male appendages

In order to identify the species, you must get a decent photo of the appendages for accurate identification. I always use flash (with a large home-made bubble-wrap diffuser) for this purpose.

The female

The female was harder to spot than the male and tended to hide higher up in the bushes. This lady was kind enough to let me get close to her.

I think this species ranges from western Thailand moving southwards and is found along slow moving streams in good forested areas. If you find one, you should find several.