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.

182: Orolestes selysi McLachlan, 1895

Number: 182 / Family: Lestidae / Genus: Orolestes    

Species: Orolestes selysi / Large Dark-banded Spreadwing*   

Habitat: Forested Ponds    

Province(s) sighted: Chaiyaphum

In flight: July-August / Sightings (by me): Rare 

Species easily confused with: Oroletes octomaculata

*As it didn't have a common name, I based the name on the Thai name 'Large Dark-banded' and the common name for Lestidae 'Spreadwings', so the 'Large Dark-banded Spreadwing'.

There are times when you have to question all those hours of your life spent being torn to shreds by nasty bushes, wading through treacle-like mud, waste deep in putrid water, bitten to death by leeches, mosquitoes and horseflies, as well as those long, arduous and expensive journeys. There are other times when it makes the bad times simply melt away. And last Saturday was one of them. I finally managed to see the fabled Orolestes selysi - a stunning damselfly that was the stuff of legends as many of the rarer species at Phu Khieo (and the rest of NE Thailand) seem to be. Though it is found in several countries, it seems to be a very rare species in Thailand. When, after all this time, I managed to spot one dangling from a tree overhanging a gloomy and temporary pond I was over the moon. Amazingly, like buses, I then noticed another and another. In fact, I saw three at this pond and two single specimens at other ponds. It must simply be a good year for them. Another thing of note was the fact that Orolestes octomaculata was also very much present (I am confident this species is around all year now) and they co-habit ... I was amazed to spot a male of each species on a branch, but was just too late to get a shot. The question is now whether there are hyaline specimens here too. According to Noppadon Makbun (the man who had said it was reported from Phu Khieo and encouraged me to find it), it is only known from this location in Thailand... hopefully it will be found again soon at a different location. Until then, I can now sleep happily, safe in the knowledge that I have photos of another rare species in Thailand. Roll on next weekend for more torture to my body for moments of true joy! Since then, I have seen this species a few times over the years, though still not common at all.

Here is the incredibly rare hyaline male. It can be separated by the dorsal blue streak around S3-4 of the abdomen. I managed to spot two males at a small pond and one shot each and they made a dash for the top of the tree canopy. Until next year, my friend, when I will get improvement shots!

Courtship Behaviour

This is my only shot of a female so far. Though obscured in the picture, the blue streak on S3-4 on the hyaline male was clear in the field. Identical courtship behaviour as its cousin. The female is gouging out holes in the bark and inserting eggs, while the male is guarding.

175: Indolestes gracilis expressior Kosterin, 2015

Number: 175 / Family: Lestidae / Genus: Indolestes   

Species: Indolestes gracilis expressior  / Dark-veined False Spreadwing* 

Habitat: Forested Marshy Lakes  

Province(s) sighted: Chaiyaphum   

In flight: July-August  / Sightings (by me): Rare 

Species easily confused with: All Indolestes Species 

*As there is no common name, I have based the first part on 'Dark-veined' which comes from the Thai name and 'False Spreadwing' which I have raised for Indolestes as they keep their wings closed, unlike other Spreadwings, creating the Dark-veined False Spreadwing.

Just as I was clicking my heels at finding one new species for my records, I noticed another ... Lestes inflatus again. My old friend from Nam Nao which I discovered for Thailand (see above). But, wait. No! Surely this wasn't L. inflatus after all. I could see that the wings were clear (a key feature of L. inflatus is that the wings are a brownish colour), the legs were black and the appendages seemed different. I managed to get the best photos I could in the blustery wind and when I returned home I knew it was a new species for me and it actually turns out to be a new record for Thailand! It is Indolestes gracilis ssp. and was IDd by Noppadon Makbun (with thanks). He told me that Oleg Kosterin had recently described a new Indolestes gracilis subspecies from Cambodia and it is quite possibly that species or another very similar species. However, the only way to truly know is if I collect a specimen ... though that's easier said than done. I am going to return this weekend in search of the female and hopefully another male or two. It could even turn out to be a completely new species yet to be described to science ... watch this space. 

NOTE: Since recording this species, I FINALLY managed to track down a second specimen following around eight further trips and got solid shots of the appendages. It confirms that it is, indeed,  Indolestes gracilis expressior Kosterin, 2015. It also highlights just how rare this species is! Furthermore, upon trying to locate the female (unsuccessfully), I did manage to run into a third male for really good shots. Better still, I was with my brother, Paul, who saw it too... so is probably only the third ever person to see it in the world after Oleg and myself.

The Male

It looks like the other species in the genus. However, on close inspection on the appendages, you can see a rather prominent shape, like the heel of a shoe (see below).

2016 specimen playing dead:

The appendages (added 2016). You can see

174: Platylestes platystylus (Rambur, 1842)

Number: 174 / Family: Lestidae / Genus: Platylestes  

Species: Platylestes platystylus / Green Spotted Spreadwing*

Habitat: Forested Marshy Lakes 

Province(s) sighted: Chaiyaphum  

Sightings (by me): Rare / In flight: July-November 

Species easily confused with: Lestes praemorsus decipiens; Lestes elatus

*As there is no common name, I have used the first part of the Thai nam 'Green Spotted' and the commonly used name for the genus, 'Spreadwing, so it is 'Green Spotted Spreadwing. 

Well, things just seem to be going well for me this year. Another trip to Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary in Chaiyaphum yielded yet another species for me ... this time in the shape of Platylestes platystylus. It is a species that I have been searching for now for a long time (I think I saw it once in Chiang Mai and the search was on from then). Every time I thought I saw it, on closer inspection it turned out to be either L. decipiens or most often L. elatus. It is clearly an uncommon species but even more so in NE Thailand (but then most things are). I decided to search an area I visited last October, which is an extremely claggy and marshy area that is difficult to walk through and even though I nearly died of exhaustion, it was well worth it. There deep in the reeds was another specimen from the Lestidae family ... surely ... it was ... yes! Finally, I saw it and got a few decent photos though the wind was terrible and made photographing twig-sized bugs on reeds rather challenging indeed. I managed to spot 4-5 males in a small area and was also extremely happy to not only spot, but get some great shots, of the female 'in action'. I have since seen another two males and a single young male.

The Male

The male is a blueish-olive colour and quite pale compared to other similar species. It also has a number of small spots on the thorax which is characteristic of the species. However, for a proper identification, you need to look at the white appendages, which are quite different from other Lestid species. 

The 'Teneral' Male

Here is a newly emerged male early in the morning. Probably emerged overnight. Here, it displays all the markings very well.

The Appendages

The Female

The female is very similar to the male but is slightly paler olive green, has fewer spots and its abdomen is more robust, which is typical of this family. Here, she is ovipositing (laying eggs).

The Copula

... and in tandem ... 

but what's happening?

 

169: Indolestes anomalus Fraser, 1946

Number: 169 / Family: Lestidae / Genus: Indolestes

Species: Indolestes anomalus / Spotted False Spreadwing*

Habitat: Forested Ponds

Province(s) sighted: Chaiyaphum, Petchabun)
Sightings (by me): Locally Common

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

Species easily confused with: All Indolestes Species

*As this species has no common name, I have based it on being location-based 'Spotted Thorax' and Lestidae are known as 'Spreadwings'. However, this genus distinctly keeps its wings closed. Therefore, I arrived at 'False Spreadwing' which still tips its hat towards Spreadwings, so the Spotted False Spreadwing.

Yesterday, I went on a short trip along with my brother, Paul, who was birding. We took in the usual Helicopter Pad Lake which was decidedly quiet. Then moved onto a few trails within Nam Nao National Park. Again, it was seriously quiet, though I did spot a few nice butterflies (which I will soon be posting on my new website (which can be seen here). The trail was around 4-5 kms, though it seemed longer. There were a few ponds and drying puddles along the way, one which housed several Lestes elatus and a surprisingly large number of Ceriagrion olivaceum. Surprising as it is the first time I have seen this species within Nam Nao. At the end of the trail was a larger pond in an opening and was surrounded by reeds. Quietly making my way through the reeds, I saw a very small and dark teneral specimen. Though it was hard to see in blazing sunshine, I could see that it was a female and that it was something different and the end segments were enlarged. I closed in and took a few photos. I knew straight away that it was Indolestes. And the only species from that genus I hadn't seen was Indolestes anomalus. I then saw a solitary male which looked very much like Indolestes birmanus ... and doubt started to creep in. It wasn't until I returned home that I could say confidently that it was indeed I. anomalus, and has been confirmed by Noppadon Makbun, who said he saw this species at Nam Nao in June - possibly at the same place. So, though quiet, I was jumping for joy at spotting a rare species and completing the known Indolestes species of Thailand ... unless I can find another! I will return in March or April in search of fully-mature specimens, which I believe are a blueish colour, similar to Indolestes inflatus, which I discovered at the large lake before.

NOTE: Since first recording this species, I have returned to the same location where I saw literally hundred of specimens and copula at every pond along the trail. Additionally, I managed to spot a healthy number of specimens at Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary on my last trip (21.v.16). It is also rather common at Nam Nao National Park in Petchabun.

The Male

The blue males really is like all others in the genus in Thailand (currently four), but it is easy to separate due to having spots on the thorax. 

Teneral male

 The Female 
Similar to the male, but dull and boasts bulbous end segments which gave away the ID

Mature female ovipositing (laying eggs)

Teneral female

The Tandem

I just love this image from very early in the morning, with the light and the spider's web... oh, yeah and the subject! One of my favourite shots.

Some more tandems (yes, a randy species)...

The Copula (Wheel)

Though I see tandems and ovipositing quite regularly at the right time of year, the wheel is rare to see.

How many holes can you make in a stem?

... a lot more if you team up.