Nam Nao: A Year in the Making (October)

Location 1: Helicopter Pad Lake, Nam Nao National Park, Petchabun. 

Date: Saturday,  27th September, 2012.
Weather: Hot, hotter, then hottest

Expectations of recording additional species (for my list): zero

Leech bites: 4 (amazingly low)

 

Following on from my trip to Phu Kradueng, was a grueling trip to Nam Nao ... my legs were like jelly after the previous ordeal and every step was almost painful. Still, it turned out to be one of my better visits and the sun was shining from the moment I arrived - not a cloud in the sky. This ensured that there was lots of odonata activity. There were several new arrivals for the year and a couple of surprises. Diplacodes nebulosa and Trithemis pallidinervis were everywhere, as were Orthetrum pruinosum neglectum and Orthetrum glaucum. Neurothemis intermedia atalanta made its first appearance for a while, as did Aciagrion pallidum. Aciagrion tillyardi and Aciagrion borneense were in high numbers once more and Agiocnemis femina femina were everywhere. Pseudagrion australasiae and Pseudagrion microcephalum were present. However, the highlight of the lake was spotting 2 male Ceriagrion cerinorubellum, followed by a solitary female late afternoon. This is the first time I have ever spotted the female and only the 2nd time I have spotted the male. It seems to be extremely scarce here. I have also spotted Ceriagrion azureum here previously, yet I am to see one this year. Obviously they are rather rare indeed here. So, all in all, a great day, boosted by hordes of the usual suspects to keep my head spinning and constantly searching all day.

 

My best photos of the day:

Ceriagrion cerinorubellum, male - only my 2nd sighting 
 

 

Ceriagrion cerinorubellum, female - my first ever sighting

 

 

Pseudagrion australasiae, male - first sighting in a while

 

 

Pseudagrion australasiae, male close-up

Winter is here again ... Trithemis pallidinervis, male - making their first appearance for the year
 

 

Orthetrum pruinosum neglectum, male - they were very common this visit

 

 

Aciagrion borneense, male - much improved photo and now fairly common

 

Agriocnemis nana, female - my best female photo yet

 

 

Diplacodes nebulosa, male - they are everywhere now

 

 

... as too are the females

 

Agiocnemis femina femina, almost mature male
 

Agiocnemis femina femina, teneral female

 

 

Agiocnemis femina femina, very old female

 

 

Pseudagrion rubriceps rubriceps, female 

 

Now she raises her abdomen ...

 

 

... and arches her abdomen ...

 

 

The reason ... an annoying male Aciagrion tillyardi.

 

 

Keep away from me!

Nam Nao Helicopter Pad (added species from the last visit, bold; new species for the lake, blue; species not seen from last visit, red)

Fam. Coenagrionidae

Aciagrion tillyardi ♂  [extremely common]

Aciagrion borneense ♀♂ [fairly common]
Aciagrion pallidum ♂ [1]

Agriocnemis femina femina ♂ ♀ [very common]

Agriocnemis nana ♀♂ [uncommon]

Argiocnemis rubescens rubeola ♂♀ [fairly common]

Ceriagrion cerinorubellum ♂♀ [2, 1]

Ceriagrion indochinense ♂ [1]

Ischnura senegalensis ♂ ♀ [very common]

Onychargia atrocyana ♂ ♀ [fairly common]

Pseudagrion microcephalum ♂♀ [1, 1]

Pseudagrion australasiae ♂ [2]
Pseudagrion rubriceps rubriceps ♀ [1]

 

Fam. Platycnemididae

Copera ciliata ♂ ♀ [extremely common]

Copera marginipes ♂♀ [common]

 

Fam. Protoneuridae

Prodasineura autumnalis ♂ ♀ [common]

 

Fam. Gomphidae

Ictinogomphus decoratus ♂ [common]

Fam. Libellulidae

Acisoma panorpoides panorpoides ♂ ♀ [very common]
Brachydiplax farinosa ♂ ♀ [♂ very common]

Brachythemis contaminata ♂ ♀ [very common]

Crocothemis servilia ♂ ♀ [fairly common]

Diplacodes nebulosa ♂ ♀ [very common]

Diplacodes trivialis ♂ ♀ [common]

Indothemis carnatica ♂ [2]

Indothemis limbata (Selys, 1891) ♂ [♂ extremely common]

Neurothemis intermedia atalanta ♂ [1]

Orthetrum pruinosum neglectum ♂ [common]

Neurothemis tullia tullia ♂ ♀ [common]

Orthetrum glaucum ♂ [common]

Orthetrum sabina sabina ♂♀ [very common]

Rhodothemis rufa ♂ [common]

Tholymis tillarga ♂ [3]

Trithemis aurora ♂ ♀ [extremely common]

Trithemis pallidinervis ♂ ♀ [fairly common]

  Location 2: Stream at the Heaquarters, Nam Nao National Park, Petchabun. 

Date: Saturday, 27th October, 2012.
Weather: Extremely hot, but still dull along the stream (except in certain places) 

Expectations of recording additional species (for my list): medium

Leech bites: 0 

 

So, walking along a [seriously low even for the end of October] stream when I have NO power after Phu Kradueng and then the Helicopter Pad lake ... great idea. Especially when I spot a new species for the stream and I am knackered. Rhinagrion viridatum made an amazing appearance. I fact I saw 2 males. I haven't seen this species here in about 15-20 trips. It isn't a provincial record, however, as Noppadon Makbun saw it here 3 years ago. Still, a record for me anyway!
Then I saw two in one day - right next to me. In fact, almost too close to photograph and in blazing hot sunshine .... I think what I got was OK. This one was basking in the sunshine (the only bit of sunshine around). Amazingly, I went on to spot a second specimen. Wow ... this genus continues to amaze me. Other than that, the 4 Coeliccia species were clearly present and very common. I also saw 2 Tetrathemis platyptera. They are clearly around now. A solitary Prodasineura auricolor was still present, though it is clear that this species won't be around for long. I also saw 1 Orthetrum species, though it could have been any as it was on the other bank. The only other thing of note was the sheer volume of Copera vittata vittata copula ... I even managed to get a half-decent shot. I am 'well chuffed' as they say in Manchester. 

Here are the [very few] decent shots I took: 

Rhinagrion viridatum, male - my first encounter with this species here.

 

Rhinagrion viridatum, male - close up and with blazing sunshine coming from the other side. Not ideal for photography, but this turned out OK. 

 

 

An amazing feat for me ... managing to get a decent photo of a Copera vittata vittata copula for the first time ever. 

 

Nam Nao Headquarter's stream (added species from the last visit, bold; new species for the stream, blue; species not seen from last visit, red)

 

Family: Chlorocyphidae

Rhinocypha biforata ♂ ♀ [very common]

Rhinocypha fenestrella ♂ ♀ [uncommon]

Family: Euphaeidae

Euphaea ochracea ♂ ♀ [common]

 

Family: Megapodagriondae
Rhinagrion hainanense 

Rhinagrion viridatum ♂ [2] 

Family: Gomphidae

Gomphidictinus perakensi 

Merogomphus paviei

Family: Platycnemididae

Coeliccia chromothorax ♂ ♀ [uncommon]

Coeliccia didyma ♂ ♀ [♂ very common]

Coeliccia c.f. loogali ♂ ♀ [♂ very common]

Coeliccia poungyi  ♂ ♀ [♂ very common]  

Copera marginipes ♂ ♀ [very common]

Copera vittata ♂ ♀ [very common]

Family: Protoneuridae

Prodasineura auricolor ♂  [1]

 

Family: Libellulidae

Zygonyx iris malayana

Field Trip: Phu Kradueng NP, Loei

Location: Phu Kradueng NP, Loei. 

Date:  24-26th October, 2012.
Weather: Bright sunshine and hot, occasionally cloudy (especially mornings)

Expectations of finding a new species: High

Now I can't walk. It's two days since I returned from Phu Kradueng and my legs are unbelievably stiff ... I think I'm getting too old for that place! Anyone who has visited will know just how much of an ordeal it is to get to the top. A steep and arduous walk/crawl up 5.7 kilometres, from 0-1316 metres. Even once you reach the top, you have a further 3.2 kilometre walk in baking sunshine just to get to the camp site. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Once I get to the top, my eyes are darting all over the place looking for odonata. My weary legs will have to wait. 

Phu Kradueng takes the form of a mesa and is 60 km² in size. It is very cool in the evenings. There are many waterfalls and you can follow a trail that travels along the stream. There are also a couple of natural ponds you can visit. I always think that three days is needed to visit the place - one day up, one day to discover and finally, one day down. 

So, what did I manage to see? Well, the first thing I noticed was how dry the place was compared to last December and October two years earlier when I visited. It has been a strange rainy season this one. Still, I did manage to find my quarry: Rhinocypha arguta (see last post). I only saw a handful for males, but I was really pleased to finally spot them! The other species I was desperate to see managed to evade me - maybe I am too late in the year for them - was Amphithemis curvistyla.  I know Noppadon has spotted that species there. I will return for it next year. Probably the biggest surprise for me was spotting a solitary male Rhinagrion viridatum basking in glorious sunshine. I'm not sure if that species has been recorded there. Indolestes birmanus were surprisingly very common, as were the usual suspects, including Vestalis s. smaragdina and Sympetrum hypomelas. There were three species I managed to spot visually, but not record photographically as they were either on the move constantly or just out of range of the camera. One was Ceriagrion fallax pendleburyi (I saw a solitary male rest momentarily as I was just about to shoot the camera at R. arguta at the stream. He vanished as quickly as he appeared. Secondly, I saw a male Gynacantha sp., possibly Gynacantha phaeomeria (I know it has been recorded there and it had a whitish part on its appendages). The third species I saw, never seemed to stop flying around the stream. It was a large Corduliidae which had bright green shiny eyes and a distinctive oval-shaped yellow mark dorsally on the latter segments of the abdomen (S7-9 I think). It could have been Macromidia genialis shanensis, due to the distinctive dorsal markings on the abdomen. However, I will never know for sure. 

Here are my best photos of the trip:

Rhinocypha arguta, male - a rare montane species

Indolestes birmanus, male - another rare species that is fairly common here

Indolestes birmanus, female

Rhinagrion viridatum, male - strangely basking in the sunshine! Possibly a new record for the Phu Kradueng.

Sympetrum hypomelas, male - an uncommon species that likes temperate climate. Extremely common at Phu Kradueng and Noppadon Makbun has found this species also in Chiang Mai.

Sympetrum hypomelas, female

Vestalis s. smaragdina, male - an uncommon montane species that is a dominant species here. They guard their territory even if a large dragonfly appears. 

Vestalis s. smaragdina, male - keeping an eye out for intruders approaching his patch.

Vestalis s. smaragdina, female (hyaline) - this is the first time I have ever seen a hyaline female.

Vestalis s. smaragdina, female (orange winged) - I previously saw males and females of this type at Phu Ruea NP. This was the only specimen I saw like this here.

Palpopleura s. sexmaculata, male - an uncommon uplands species and a beautiful one at that.

Mortonagrion aborense, male - not commonly seen, but there were several specimens at a tiny rivulet 

Mortonagrion aborense, female

Rhinocypha fenestrella, female (I'm pretty confident this is correct.

Zygonyx iris malayana, male - commonly spotted darting around waterfalls. Rarely seen resting

Orthetrum t. triangulare, male - a big, bold uplands species that likes nothing more than sunbathing

What I saw during my trip:

   Family: Calopterygidae

Vestalis smaragdina (Selys, 1879)

   Family: Coenagrionidae

Aciagrion tillyardi (Laidlaw, 1919)

Ceriagrion fallax pendleburyi (Laidlaw, 1931)

Ceriagrion indochinense (Asahina, 1967)

Mortonagrion aborense (Laidlaw, 1914)

   Family: Chlorocyphidae

Rhinocypha fenestrella (Rambur, 1842)

Rhinocypha biforata (Selys, 1859)

Rhinocypha arguta (Hämäläinen & Divasiri, 1997)

   Family: Lestidae

Indolestes birmanus (Selys, 1891)

   Family: Megapodagrionidae

Rhinagrion viridatum (Fraser 1938)

   Family: Platycnemididae

Coeliccia chromothorax (Selys, 1891)

Coeliccia poungyi (Fraser, 1924)

Copera marginipes (Rambur, 1842)

Copera vittata (Selys, 1863)

Indocnemis orang (Förster in Laidlaw, 1907)

   Family: Aeschnidae 

Gynacantha sp. (possibly Gynacantha phaeomeria)

   Family: Corduliidae

Macromidia sp. (possibly Macromidia genialis shanensis)

   Family: Libellulidae

Diplacodes trivialis (Rambur, 1842)

Orthetrum chrysis (Selys, 1891)

Orthetrum glaucum (Brauer, 1865)

Orthetrum pruinosum (Burmeister, 1839)

Orthetrum t. triangulare (Selys, 1878)

Palpopleura sexmaculata (Fabricius, 1787)

Pantala flavescens (Fabricius, 1798)

Sympetrum hypomelas (Selys, 1884)

Trithemis aurora (Burmeister, 1839)

Trithemis festiva (Rambur, 1842)

Zygonyx iris malayana (Selys, 1869)

So, 28 species in one short trip. I know that there are many more species their to be seen ... hopefully, next time I visit.

151: Rhinocypha arguta (Hämäläinen & Divasiri, 1997)

Number: 151

Family: Chlorocyphidae

Genus:  Rhinocypha

Species:  Rhinocypha arguta

Common name(s): N/A

Thai name(s): แมลงปอเข็มน้ำตกท้องส้ม, แมลงปอเข็มน้ำตกสั้นขีดคู่

Habitat: Montane streams (in bright areas)

Province(s) sighted: Phu Kradueng National Park (Loei)

Sightings (by me): 6 males, 1 female

In flight (that I have seen): October

Species easily confused with: None

A beautiful and rare montane damselfly I set out to see, almost evaded me once more. Then, third time lucky and at the exact location where Noppadon Makbun led me (when I visited last time), I saw a solitary male Rhinocypha arguta basking in glorious sunshine. Unfortunately, he wasn't reading the script as he simply moved from rock to rock as I tried to position myself to get a good photo. I managed to get a couple of record shots, but nothing spectacular. On the second day, I spotted a further 5 males along the stream at various points - all in bright sunspots. Though difficult to get anywhere near, I eventually got some half-decent shots. 

According to the IUCN website [http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/174523/0] website, it states about R. arguta: "It is widely found in northern Thailand (in the Phu Kradung mountains (National Park), Loei Province, and Pee Pan Nam mountain range (Jae Sawn National Park)". It is also found at two sites in Vietnam. The female is yet to be described.

The male

The male is easily recognised as it is the only species in its genus to have orange colouration. 

This specimen moved away from the river and sat in the nearby bushes - getting as much out of the sun as possible. 

Unfortunately, though I managed to spot a solitary female, she flew straight up into a tree and I could see her peering dow at me from a safe height. Her blue eyes really stood out, but she was out of reach of my camera. Until the next time ... 

Many thanks to Noppadon Makbun for leading me to this beautiful creature.