191: Lestes dorothea Fraser, 1924

Number: 191 / Family: Lestidae / Genus: Lestes

Species: Lestes dorothea / Forest Spreadwing 

Habitat: Forested ponds and Marsh   

Province(s) sighted: Chaiyaphum, Petchabun, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Ratchasima

Sightings (by me): Locally abundant 

In flight (that I have seen): June - September  

Species easily confused with: Lestes praemorsus decipiens; Lestes elatus; Platylestes platystylus

Finally, after searching for it for a long time, I have found it. I think. Lestes dorothea has eluded pretty much everyone (many of the guys on Dragonflies of Thailand on Facebook) including myself but the help of identification through the female has helped for once. 

The major problem is that the males of L. decipiens and L. dorothea are almost identical in appearance.  I knew that both species had been recorded at Phu Khieo previously and I did notice that the pruinescence at the end of the abdomen on some specimens was significantly reduced when compared to others. Conclusive proof? Of course not. Worse still, the appendages are almost identical (from what I could tell anyway). This was also noted by Tom Kompier on his blog with information that has helped a lot on this. The telltale difference (I am led to believe) is the difference in the female. The female of L. dorothea has the bold markings on the thorax (like a swoosh) followed by another prominent dot. This is the same as the male but is almost always hidden. Again, this was pointed out by Tom on his blog and Noppadon Makbun also explained this to me, though still would like to compare the appendages. Looking back at both males and females, the latter is now easy to separate (see comparison below). However, the male is still a little difficult to separate, but I will have to entrust the expertise of others for now (unless I can find a very young male for easy comparison).

The Male:

Though I could be mistaken, from memory it is a slightly larger species than L. decipiens. However, the key to identifying the male is the reduced pruinescence at the end of the abdomen (see comparison below). 

RIP little man...

The 'Young' Male

Here is a young male which displays the thoracic markings clearly.

The 'Young' Female

Here is a young female I saw quite early one morning. You can clearly see the 'Nike Tick' marking.

The Copula

Another copula...

And another...

 L. dorothea, the same female (not the prominent markings on the thorax)

L. decipiens, female (for comparison) from Nam Nao. Note the small dots on the thorax.

  

 L. dorothea, male

 L. praemorsus, male (for comparison)

Many thanks to Noppadon Makbun for all his help on this confusing genus as well as Tom Kompier for the more than useful information on his blog.

131: Lestes decipiens Kirby, 1893

Number: 131 / Family: Lestidae / Genus: Lestes

Species: Lestes decipiens / Anchor-marked Spreadwing*

Habitat: Exposed Natural Upland Ponds (Heavily Tree-lined at the Edges)
Province(s) sighted: Chaiyaphum, Chiang Mai, Nakhorn Ratchasima, Petchabun

In flight: April-August / Sightings (by me): Uncommon

Species easily confused with: All Lestes species

*As there is no common name, I named it 'Anchor-marked' after the Thai name and 'Spreadwing' as the common name for the genus, Lestes. 

On my recent trip to Khao Yai NP, I saw a number of new species, as well as being on the receiving end of a million leech bites! However, it was all worth it, as I saw a beautiful new species in Lestes decipiens. I saw this species once before in Chiang Mai, but the photos are too poor for a true ID. It was resting at the edge of the pond in open water, early in the morning and was the very first species I saw that day... anything else was a bonus! Since then, I have seen this species regularly or, at least, I used to... the similar-looking L. dorothea seems to rule the roost nowadays. 

The male
A beautiful specimen, that has a rather short abdomen, 
compared to L. platystylus. This specimen also has heavy pruinescence and therefore the dorsal 'scallop' shape is hidden. Still, a great looking damselfly and a new species for me.

Close up of the face.

The Copula

The Female

Upon my return to Khao Yai, I managed to spot a copula, which was brilliant to watch. The female (still with the male attached) oviposited for long periods. Here is a close-up of the female (part of a copula).

Ovipositing

Here, the female is ovipositing onto rotting vegetation.

Many, many thanks to Mr. Oleg Kosterin for the ID of the male.

80. Lestes concinnus (Hagen in Selys, 1862)

No: 80 / Family: Lestidae / Genus: Lestes

Name: Lestes concinnus / Dusky spreadwing 

Habitat: Often Found in Long Grasses of Open, Dusty Fields in the Lowlands

Province(s): Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum, Petchabun, Loei
In flight: March-December / Sightings (by me): Locally common

Easily confused with: Lestes elatus, Lestes viridulus

Another Lestes species, and the first one I ever saw in Khon Kaen (once I properly started searching), is Lestes concinnus. Known as the Dusky Spreadwing, it seems to be a fairly common species and has fairly recently had a 'Dark Form' added. But the dark form is very rare and even the normal form is one you have to go in search for, as I have found it often well away from any water source in open, barren fields. Therefore, I haven't seen one for a fairly long time, except when they pop up at marshland from time to time.

The Male

The male is a light or tan brown in colour. I spotted this specimen in Khon Kaen in marshland area. Very brownish, sandy coloured in appearance, it is often found in patchy grassy areas where there is a lot of sandy ground... sometimes very far away from a water source.

The 'Dark Form' Male

These is also a Dark Form or Eastern Form that was once though to be Lestes thoracicus, but alas, no. Many years after I first saw in (back in 2008), it was decided that it was the same species as L. concinnus, though I still have my doubts (out of desperation haha). However, no. It is the same, but blue! I wonder if it is blue as it is near a water source, whereas the brown ones are not? Probably not haha. 

The Female

The female is almost identical to the male, only the caudal appendages differ and the abdomen is more robust. 

The 'Dark Form' Female

This is the Dark-form female and this photo is actually from back in 2009 and in in my back garden at the time. Also back then, this was Lestes thoracicus for a good few years, though was downgraded eventually to just a dark form. I wanted to cry when I heard this as I thought Khon Kaen had a special species!

3. Lestes elatus Hagen in Selys, 1862

No: 3 / Family: Lestidae / Genus: Lestes

Name: Lestes elatus / Emerald Spreadwing 

Habitat: Uplands & lowlands ponds, marshland, ditches
Province(s) sighted: Khon Kaen, Petchabun, Chaiyaphum, Loei, Nakhorn Ratchasima
In flight: Year-round (scarce February-May) / Sightings (by me): Common  

Easily confused with: Lestes concinnus, Lestes dorothea, Lestes praemorsus, Lestes viridulus 

Lestes elatus... the damselfly that got me into chasing these little things around the country to get photos. I saw one in my back garden and just thought it looked amazing. This is a large-sized damselfly and, although quite clumsy in landing, can disappear quickly, making photography difficult.

I initially thought this was a lowlands dweller (it resides in Khon Kaen, which is lowlands), but I have since spotted this species at Nam Nao environs (approx. 950 metres above sea level) and a small pond at Phu Rua NP, Loei province (again up to 1000 metres). So, it is a species that is highly adaptable.

The Male

This is a mature male, which is a striking grey-blue. The markings on the thorax make it easy to identify.

This one fro Phu Ruea National Park in Loei is even bluer!

Mid-stage male

Shows the distinctive thoracic markings clearly. This male will eventually turn blue, like the male. 

Another youngish male early in the morning at Phu Khieo WS... still sleeping.

Up close and personal

Shows the distinctive thoracic markings on a mid-stage male. 

The 'Teneral' Male
Here is a teneral male. It clearly has a bluish tinge to the wings. Something I have only seen on specimens I saw at Phu Rua National Park, Loei.

The Female

Very similar to the young male, but has slightly different markings and colours and the abdomen is slightly thicker.

An unfortunate ending...

This female was snaffled by a rather ugly spider and met an abrupt ending.

The 'Teneral' Female

These females really are 'fresh'. This female still has closed wings (top) and the bluish tinge can clearly be seen. Looks very much like Indolestes I think! They will open out in time (as specimen 2). They, too, have a blue tinge to the wings, like the male counterparts at Phu Rua NP. I can only assume that the blue colouration fades with time.

A mature female

This is a fully mature female. It is slightly darker in appearance than the above female.

A Copula...

This is a fully mature male (blue), with a fully mature female. I have seen many specimens of this species, but never a blue female. Personally, I don't think it turns blue. I think this is as close as you get to the adult female (see close-up). It's a greeny colour, with a slight blue tinge. The eyes are also slightly blue in colour.

Close up of the male's clapers in action...

This species I have spotted many times in Khon Kaen, north eastern Thailand, where I have been living for the past seven years. I have seen it throughout the year. It tends to stay far away from water, although I did spot two blue males near a swampy area when I visited Nam Phong National Park (near Khon Kaen). I have since seen a good number of males and a copula at a tiny pond by the roadside, Nam Nao town and Phu Rua NP, Loei, both uplands ponds.