204. Vestalis amethystina Lieftinck, 1965

Number: 204

Family: Calopterygidae

Genus: Vestalis

Species: Vestalis amethystina

Common name(s): Common Demoiselle

Synonym(s): N/A

Habitat: Fairly large exposed shallow river (but hidden in the foliage)

Province(s) sighted: Trail at the Research Centre, Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary (Narathiwat) 

Sightings (by me): Two males

In flight (that I have seen): April    

Species easily confused with: Vestalis anne; Vestalis gracilis gracilis; Vestalis amoena

Another Vestalis species I managed to spot was Vestais amethystina. However, unlike V. amoena where, if you found one, you found several, this species was in seriously low numbers. Maybe it was the wrong time of the year or they were just out of sight that day. I did manage to spot two males along a short and manicured trail that runs near the river at the research centre. Looking through bins I could clearly make out the 'V' nick in the appendages but my shots of the appendages are not so clear. I also found this species to be far more skittish and it took an age to get the shots I got... so I am happy for now. I can find this species in Kanchanburi down, so I should see him again someday -- and I really hope to spot the female too as she eluded me this time round.

The Male
The male is exactly the same as V. amoena and can only be separated by its appendages. However, I wonder if they like slightly different habitats?

The second male...

 The Appendages... you can just about make out the 'V' nick in the superior appendages (if you look carefully enough).

Sadly, I didn't get to see the female this time...

203. Vestalis amoena Selys, 1853

Number: 203

Family: Calopterygidae

Genus Vestalis

Species: Vestalis amoena

Common name(s):  Metallic Green Demoiselle

Synonym(s): N/A

Habitat: Mostly lowland forested small, sandy-bottomed streams

Province(s) sighted: To Mo Community Forest and streams below Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary (Narathiwat) 

Sightings (by me): Locally common

In flight (that I have seen): April    

Species easily confused with: Vestalis anne; Vestalis gracilis gracilis; Vestalis amethystina

I love Vestalis species and was overjoyed to spot two species known from the west/south of Thailand. The first one Vestalis amoena is most certainly the most common in Narathiwat. It seemed to prefer the trees at the edges of small, shallow and somewhat sandy-bottomed streams and is restricted to the very south of Thailand, whereas V. amethystina is found as high up as Kanchanaburi and I only saw it once at the large river that runs through Hala-Bala WS. Superficially, they look identical and the only way to separate the two species is by viewing their appendages. This is, of course, easier said than done. I did manage to get decent shots of the appendages. The appendages of V. amoena has a smooth bulbous end, whereas V. amethystina has a distinctive nick, otherwise they are impossible to separate. The males of both species were incredibly difficult to approach whereas the female of V. amoena was a little more cooperative.

The male
The male looks like other males in the genus... and totally awesome. How can anyone not love these big clumsy dragons that seem to plop from leaf to leaf in order to totally avoid being photographed but still manage to watch you!?!

Another male...

And the appendages...

The Female
The females were a little more cooperative

145. Noguchiphaea yoshikoae (Asahina, 1976)

Number: 145

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. 

113. Vestalis anne (Hämäläinen, 1985)

Number: 113
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. 

110. Echo modesta (Laidlaw, 1902)

Number: 110

Family: Calopterygidae

Genus: Echo 

Species: Echo modesta
Common name(s): N/A
Thai name(s): แมลงปอเข็มน้ำตกใหญ่หน้าขาว, แมลงปอเข็มน้ำตกใหญ่อีโค
Habitat: Heavily forested upland streams
Province(s) sighted: Lamklong Ngu NP (Kanchanaburi).
Sightings (by me): Rare
In flight (that I have seen): March (longer, I'm sure)

Another member of the Calopterygidae family and the 6th I have now seen, is Echo modesta. It's a stunning damselfly and is easily recognizable with its white face. 

The male

It's similar to other species in the family, but has a kind of 'box-shaped' thorax. The wings are also hyaline. The easy way to spot this species, however, is the mature male's white face. 

The sub-adult male

I was fortunate to spot a young male, which is the same as the adult, but hasn't yet developed a white square on its face.

It likes particularly dark, shaded areas under tree canopy and the species can be seen in upland forested areas along the west of Thailand, all year round.  I saw 2 adult males and a young male. Unfortunately, I didn't see a female.

78. Neurobasis chinensis chinensis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Number: 78

Family: Calopterygidae

Genus: Neurobasis

Species: Neurobasis chinensis chinensis

Common name(s): Stream Glory, Oriental Greenwing, Chinese Greenwing, 

Green-winged Demoiselle, Green Metalwing

Thai name(s): แมลงปอเข็มน้ำตกจีน, แมลงปอเข็มน้ำตกใหญ่จีน

Habitat: Forested streams (uplands & lowlands)
Province(s) sighted: Nam Nao environs (Petchabun);  Phu Rua NP/environs (Loei); Widespread (Chiang Mai); Widespread (Chiang Rai); Khao Yai (Nakhorn Ratchasima); Khao Soi Dao (Chantaburi); Kanchanaburi environs (Kanchanaburi); Koh Chang (Trat).
Sightings (by me): Very common
In flight (that I have seen): April-December

A common damselfly that even non-odonata lovers can't fail to love, is Neurobasis chinensis chinensis. With its wings closed it looks OK, but when you can capture it with its wings open, it boasts a stunning vibrant green colour. When it flies past it looks amazing and is one of the most impressive looking damselfly when in flight.

The male

The male is far more common than the female and one of the most common damselflies you'll spot at any river or waterfall.

With its wings closed (Pic 1) it has a metallic sheen on its thorax, abdomen and wings. Yet, when it opens its wings, its another story. The forewings are clear but the hind wings are a vivid metallic green (see pic 2). 

Threat display...

With no female yet present, these two males were vying for an irrelevant leaf on the stream. The perched male raised and arched his abdomen, whilst constantly fluttering his wings, I think to make himself look as big as possible. The other male kept trying to match him whilst in flight. It lasted for several minutes before the one in flight gave up.

The mature male

I have also seen one or two males that have become more of a brown colour than green. I assume these are much older males. This one I saw at Ob Khan National Park.

The female

The female is also common, but really difficult to get close to. They are really skittish. I managed to get a few good shots of this specimen, when I visited a small stream at Doi Inthanon, Chiang Mai.

An old female

Early one morning in Kanchanaburi, I managed to get close to an old female... usually they fly away at the slightest movement. This one is more of a copper colour than the above and is older.

(photo taken 26/03/2011 @ Kanchanaburi - added to blog 02/04/2011)

A newly emerged 'ghost' female...

I was lucky enough to spot this newly emerged specimen early one morning in Khao Yai. It will probably have emerged not much earlier. Looks great, I think.

Two's company...

A nice photo of both male and female together.

You can see this species throughout the country and all year round at streams and waterfalls.