196. Lyriothemis biappendiculata (Selys, 1878)

Number: 196  

Family: Libellulidae

Genus: Lyriothemis

Species: Lyriothemis biappendiculata

Common name(s): N/A

Synonyms: Calothemis biappendiculata    

Habitat: Forested stream  

Province(s) sighted: Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary (Narathiwat)

Sightings (by me): 1 male 

In flight (that I have seen): April   
Species easily confused with: --

Halfway through the morning of the first full day, my camera packed up. I was gutted, though it was probably my fault (I had been swimming to get a shot) and I think a little water trickled down my wet sleeve and managed to get into the battery compartment (however, it seemed to work later--see full article on Hala-Bala which will be posted shortly). So, one morning was traipsing behind the birder group I was with. It was, of course, interesting as I learnt a little about some of the birds there. However, I was champing at the bit to get on with dragon hunting... way behind my brother, I heard him call out. I ran (well, rather hobbled as 'stiffleg syndrome' had set in from the previous day's walking). Anyway, as I reached him I could already see a solitary red dragonfly perched on a stick at the edge of the path. I knew straight away that it was Lyriothemis sp. and a new one at that for me. However, armed only with a 100-400mm lens and set up for birding getting a shot proved tricky. So, between me and my brother we fired off a few shots and this one was the best that came out. Turns out to be Lyriothemis biappendiculata, male -- a species that has been reported from a few places including Khao Yai and so I hope to see it again one day, especially the female as it looks so cool.

Anyway, thanks to my brother, Paul, for the use of his camera in my time of need and for even potentially taking the shot!!! Turned out quite nice, really.

189. Amphithemis curvistyla Selys, 1891

Number: 189  

Family: Libellulidae

Genus: Amphithemis

Species: Amphithemis curvistyla 

Common name(s): N/A  

Synonyms: N/A    

Habitat: Upland Forested pond   

Province(s) sighted: Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary (Chaiyaphum) 

Sightings (by me): Rare (1 male) 

In flight (that I have seen): Mid November    

Species easily confused with: -

Well, after a number of years of searching but having little knowledge of the species, I finally clapped eyes on it: Amphithemis curvistyla - a seemingly rare species indeed. I had searched every marshy area, pool and puddle, been ripped to shreds and bitten to death, but didn't find it at Phu Khieo where it had once been reported. Obviously a rare species full stop, but even rarer here. Finally, whilst looking at a more standard deep banked pond where I have spotted a few goodies previously, there he was - almost out of reach battling in the air with many T. aurora and not doing what it says on the tin. Though the pond has a boggy area to one side, it is deep and has seriously deep banking covered in thick, thorny foliage. I would never have thought that I would see it there. But, there he was, bold as brass. Sadly, even armed with a 400 mm lens, I only managed a record shot (heavily cropped) as it was just too far out of reach. I returned to the scene of the crime several times and was torn to shreds searching around the horrible banking, but I didn't see him or any of his friends again. Still, I know it is there now and will return next year (or go to Phu Kradueng where I believe it may be a little more commonly seen). Still, it was worth all the effort - he really is a beautiful thing.

188. Tramea virginia (Rambur, 1842)

Number: 188  

Family: Libellulidae

Genus: Tramea   

Species: Tramea virginia 

Common name(s): Saddlebag Glider  

Synonyms: N/A    

Habitat: Lowland Forested pond   

Province(s) sighted: Phu Wiang National Park, (Khon Kaen) 

Sightings (by me): Rare (1 male) 

In flight (that I have seen): September    

Species easily confused with: Tramea transmarina euryale

Well, I am desperate to get to that magical 200 species barrier (though I may need a few more due to some of them not identified yet - I really want 200 identified species photographed). And, though it is rare nowadays, I will never give up until I get there. I am now in the process of wading through about 10 million backed up photos  (sorting out other bugs and animals too). Suddenly, from a set of photos from Phu Wiang last year, I noticed a few record shots of a Tramea transmarina euryale male that, well, didn't sit right. The problem was that there were several males flitting about on that  day and all seemed to want to land on the same stick. I took a few photos and left it at that (a record shot for Khon Kaen). In any case, I was preoccupied with hundreds of Amphiallagma parvum at the same small pond (I had only ever seen them in tiny numbers before). But, looking carefully again last night, one of the specimens was clearly not T. transmarina euryale. The colour patches on the wing bases were far too big and I also noticed that it had a whitish face instead of having a metallic blueish patch. Doing a little research I saw Tom Kompier's brilliant examples from Vietnam and started to get excited. I then sent my photo to Noppadon Makbun, who did a little research himself and came up with it probably being Tramea virginia - the same species I thought it was. I couldn't be happier. And though it's only a record shot (and the sun was right in my face), I now know where it is... and I will find it again.

According to the IUCN Red List: "There is a single old record from Thailand". So, not a bad find really!

You can see the large patch on the base of the wings and he has a whitish face.

I will return and find you again for better shots!

186. Nannophya pygmaea Rambur, 1842

Number: 186  

Family: Libellulidae   

Genus: Nannophya   

Species: Nannophya pygmaea 

Common name(s): The Scarlet Dwarf   

Synonyms: N/A    

Habitat: Forested pond (temporary)   

Province(s) sighted: Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary (Chaiyaphum)  

Sightings (by me): Extremely rare 

In flight (that I have seen): August    

Species easily confused with: N/A

Straight after seeing Ceriagrion pallidum for the first time, around the corner of the same little forested pond, I saw a microscopic, but bright red dragonfly hanging on to reeds for dear life in very blustery conditions. To be honest, I had to look at it for a few seconds before my mind would compute. It was Nannophya pygmaea - a lifer species for me. I had always wanted to see Thailand's smallest species, but feared I would have to travel south in order to do so. However, there it was, much smaller than I could ever dream. I shocked myself into action and managed to get a few shots away before the wind was too much and it shot off never to be seen again. I spent a few hours searching the rest of the pond, but eventually the sun disappeared and with it any chances of finding more. I will return to get improvement shots and I hope that it isn't as rare as I think it is. Maybe I won't see it again. Who knows? I believe it has been recorded once at Phu Kradueng, Loei, but other than that it is mostly seen in the far south, though it is rare there too. 

The male

166. Onychothemis culminicola Förster, 1904

Number: 166
Family:   Libellulidae
Genus: Onychothemis 
Species: Onychothemis culminicola Förster, 1904
Common name(s):N/A
Synonyms: N/A 
Habitat: Forested sandy stream
 Province(s) sighted: Pa La-U Waterfall (Pratchup Khirikhan)
Sightings (by me): Solitary male
In flight (that I have seen): May (2014) 
Species easily confused with: N/A

At last, I have spotted a new member of the Libellulidae family. It is well over a year since I spotted my last new record species from the family. This time, it is in the shape of Onychothemis culminicola, a beautiful and bold species, easily recognised by its bright red abdomen and brown thorax boasting strong yellowish stripes. I have spotted its relative, O. testacea testacea, on several occasions and they were also clearly the dominant species at a very shallow and sandy stream situated just below Pa La-U waterfall. I was actually there to try and locate Nihonogomphus pulcherrimus, which I was guided to by Pattarawich Dawwrueng. Amazingly, I did see a solitary male. However, it was unable to land as it was attacked by numerous  O. testacea every time it arrived at the water's edge. It was obviously spooked by them and just flew around before finally flying up high into the treetops. I was annoyed that I didn't photograph it, but happy at the same time as I managed to see it for the first time. I moved on along the stream and then I saw it. A solitary male O. culminicola hanging on to a branch on the opposite side of the stream (also constantly bombarded by O. testacea). It was extremely skittish and took me almost an hour to get the shots I have. I am extremely pleased and, according to Kroolek Reinthong - a fellow odonologist - it is a provincial record. Obviously it is scarce there. I couldn't find any other specimens during my visit. 

The male

The male is easy to ID with its bold red abdomen and strong markings on the thorax. However, should you see one, approach with caution. They fly away at the slightest movement (but often return if you retreat).

Many thanks to Pattarawich Dawwrueng for letting me know about this location.

156. Macrodiplax cora (Kaup in Brauer, 1867)

Number: 156

Family: Libellulidae

Genus:  Macrodiplax

Species:  Macrodiplax cora

Common name(s): Coastal Glider, Cora’s Pennant, Wandering Pennant

Synonyms: Diplax cora (Kaup in Brauer, 1867)

Habitat: Large, exposed ponds, lowlands

Province(s) sighted: Nam Phong NP & Khon Kaen environs

Sightings (by me): Rare

In flight (that I have seen): January-May

Species easily confused with: Crocothemis servilia servilia; Rhodothemis rufa; Urothemis signata signata

A new year and a new species already! On a very short afternoon trip around Khon Kaen environs (basically near home), I stopped at an area with a series of open lakes I hadn't bothered with before, as it looks like every other lake in Khon Kaen. Surrounded by cultivated farmland and land which is under housing development - and being January - and you could forgive me for not holding out much hope. Except I couldn't be further from the truth. A few kilometres from where I was stunned to see Ceriagrion cerinorubellum, I bumped into a species I couldn't work out quite what it was. With the world's brightest sunshine blinding me, all I could see was a red dragonfly. It looked like Urothemis signata signata, yet it seemed to perch very near the water's edge and low down (not high up on twigs). When disturbed, it would hover for long periods - another characteristic unlike U. signata. So I tried to get a photo. Eventually, I managed just about to get a record shot and knew what it was straight away ... Macrodiplax cora. The prominent stripe along the abdomen reminds me of a human backbone. I tried and tried to get good shots, but with the horrible lighting and the fact that the specimen was extremely skittish, I moved on. There were several other males and I also saw a copula. So they are well and truly established there. I had heard that the species doesn't go any higher than Bangkok (it is supposed to like areas along the coast), so I was pleasantly surprised to see the species living happily in a lake in Khon Kaen. 

I returned the following day at 10.30 a.m. and unlike the previous day, it was dull and windy. AND devoid of any specimens. I decided to visit a few other lakes and then returned at 1.00 p.m. They were still absent ... well, almost. I managed to spot a solitary male and he was very cooperative, unlike the previous day when they would fly away even if I breathed. I have since spotted a solitary female at Nam Pong National Park, though I am not sure it is an established species there,

The male

The male looks like many other similar red pond species, but can easily be distinguished by its unique 'human backbone' dorsal stripe along the abdomen.

Here you can clearly see the 'backbone' dorsal stripe, which helps distinguish the species.

The female

The female looks almost identical to the male (if you can find it!) and has the same prominent dorsal 'backbone' stripe along the abdomen. However, it is more of a yellow-orange colour and can be separated easily (except for the young male which is very similar in colour). I had spotted 1 or 2 females previously, but they were always part of a copula and I couldn't get anywhere near them. Then, following many hours of searching, I saw an extremely skittish female perching high up in the branches of a sparse tree set back from the same ponds where I have spotted many males. She was extremely difficult to approach and it took almost an hour in baking sunshine for me to get close enough to get half-decent shots. If you do see a female, approach with extreme caution ... or you could miss out!

134. Agrionoptera insignis (Rambur, 1842)

Number: 134

Family: Libellulidae

Genus: Agrionoptera

Species: Agrionoptera insignis insignis

Common name(s): Narrow-bodied Skimmer, Slim Metallica, Grenadier
Thai name(s): 
Habitat: Heavily tree-covered end of a natural uplands pond
Province(s) sighted: Nam Nao NP Helicopter Pad (Petchabun); Khao Yai NP (Nakhorn Ratchasima).
Sightings (by me): Rare
In flight (that I have seen): April-July

Another new species I found at a natural pond, in Khao Yai NP, is Agrionoptera insignis insignis. I instantly knew the species, thanks to Noppadon Makbun's great image of the male on his blog. When I first saw it on his blog, I wanted to see this beautiful dragonfly. And now I have!

The male

When I returned to the same place that I saw the teneral female, I managed to spot 2 males resting close by under heavy tree cover. They were difficult to get anywhere near, but my persistence paid off and I managed to get a decent shot or two... as well as a million leech bites, full of mud and scratches everywhere. Totally worth it!

The female

I was lucky to spot a mature female for the first time on my last visit to Nam Nao Helicopter Pad lake. It could even be a provincial record. The female is similar to the male, but more robust. Not the best photos in the world, but she was perched a few feet above my head.

The 'teneral' female

The female has very similar markings to that of the male. Some seem to be confused with this species and Lathrecista asiatica, especially the male. However, I knew exactly what this was from a good distance. The anguish I went through trying to get close enough to photograph it without scaring it away was immense, especially as I was wading through heavily muddy water.

This was the angle I could see from a distance... maybe that is why I knew it was a new species.

119. Tramea transmarina euryale (Brauer, 1867)

Number: 119

Family: Libellulidae

Genus:  Tramea

Species:  Tramea transmarina euryale

Common name(s): Ocean Glider, Saddlebag Glider

Thai name(s): แมลงปอบ้านใหญ่เปลี่ยน

Habitat: Exposed (yet tree-lined), upland natural ponds

Location(s): Khao Yai National Park (22/04/2011), Phu Man NP (Khon Kaen)

Sightings (by me): Uncommon (There were 4 males @ Khao Yai)
In flight (that I have seen): April (longer, I'm sure)

Another species I saw alongside Indothemis limbata limbata, was Tramea transmarina euryale. There were 4-5 males constantly patrolling the edges of the pond. I watched them for about 30 minutes and almost gave up on waiting for one land to take photos. However, my luck was in and a male landed in the bushes behind me, just while there was enough light left. Once it had landed, it wasn't easily frightened and both photos below are uncropped, using a 300 mm lens.

The male

It's similar in size and shape (including the long legs) of Trithemis pallidinervis. The thorax is brown and the abdomen is a strong red, with prominent dorsal marks on S8-9. The caudal appendages are black and very long. There is also red colouration to the base of the wings.

62. Aethriamanta Brevipennis (Rambur, 1842)

Number: 62

Family: Libellulidae

Genus: Aethriamanta

Species: Aethriamanta brevipennis

Common name(s): Scarlet Marsh Hawk, Elusive Adjutant, Scarlet Adjudant

Thai name(s):แมลงปอบ้านยอดแดง

Habitat: Edge of forested areas, rivers and streams (lowlands)

Province(s) sighted: Widespread (Khon Kaen); Nam Nao environs (Petchabun);  Khao Yai NP (Nakhorn Ratchasima).

Sightings (by me): Fairly uncommon

In flight (that I have seen): April-October

A small, but chunky dragonfly that pops up from time to time around Khon Kaen and beyond, is Aethriamanta brevipennis. I don't see it that often, but if I go dragonfly hunting early in the morning I tend to see more. Maybe they move high up into the trees during the day and out of sight.

The male

The male varies in colour. Mostly they are yellow and black in colour, but there are also red specimens, which look fantastic. The thorax is black and the abdomen is bright red.

The yellow male

This is the same as the above, but in yellow form and are more commonly seen at this stage.

The female

The female is very similar to the yellow male, but it is slightly smaller and has much more black colouring to the abdomen.

I have spotted this species at a number of places around Thailand, but it isn't seen all that often. I know it is widespread and can be seen most, if not all, year round. I have seen this species primarily near rivers.

10. Urothemis signata signata (Rambur, 1842)

Number: 10

Family: Libellulidae

Genus: Urothemis

Species: Urothemis signata signata 

Common name(s): Scarlet Basker, Greater Crimson Skimmer

Habitat: Exposed lowland areas 

Province(s) sighted: River Chi, Nam Pong NP (Khon Kaen); Khao Yai NP (Nakhorn Ratchasima); Nam Nao environs (Petchabun)

Sightings (by me): Common and widespread

In flight (that I know of): April-November

Species easily confused with: Crocothemis servilia; Macrodiplax cora; Rhodothemis rufa

Another common dragonfly that loves sunbathing is Urothemis signata signata. It loves perching on sticks and branches in the blazing sunshine. They can be easily confused with Macrodiplax cora (Noppadon Makbun corrected my initial I.D.), but the main difference is that only the latter segments of the abdomen have black dorsal marks, whereas M. cora has black marks all along the abdomen. Also, I think M. cora is only found as north as Bangkok (this bit is not true anymore ... I found M. cora in Khon Kaen.)

The mature male (red form)

Has long legs like Trithemis species.

Here, you can clearly see only the last 2 segments have black dorsal patches, which helps identify the species.

The young male? (yellow form)

I am convinced that there are two forms of this species. Though the red form is far more common, and all start off life yellow (and become red) I have spotted some rather old-looking yellow males and females. Maybe some just don't become red. No idea why.

... a strange male

Here's a male from Chantaburi that has a red face and dark red eyes (the ones in KK have a whitish face) and also it has no distinguishable marks on the abdomen. I saw several like this but were very difficult to get near. 

The adult female (red form)

The female is very similar to the male. They are less easily frightened than the males and seem to like having their photo taken!

Slightly younger female (has a beautiful marbled effect)

Target sighted ... she's about to strike

Young female (yellow form)

Female in the hand ...

Unfortunately, this 'yellow' female I found dead in a spider's web (freshly killed). 

 

... a very old female (that is still yellowish)

I have seen this species in vast, open spaces and farmer's fields to small swampy enclosed areas (but still in the bright sunshine),   and I have spotted them at many locations around the country.  Also, if you spot one, you will probably see lots at the same time.