That Elusive Little Blue Damselfly

I've only recently realised that I've lost the photos in my older blog posts that were transferred from the Multiply blog site.  Not anyone's fault but my own as I probably omitted a step or two when transferring all the posts over.  That was quite a daunting task for me with thousands of things to transfer over and especially when I don't exactly have a high level of IT competency! 

Earlier in the year, I did notice that when I clicked on a photo in an older post, it would link back to the related Multiply blog page but it did not occur to me then to rectify it and that it would be a problem when the Multiply site is shut down.  Now that it's been shut down, these photos have disappeared from the blogs on this site and have gone to cyberspace!

Anyway, I've taken on the painstakingly slow process of updating these older blogs with the photos that should be there and in the process, have come across a few photos that I'd forgotten about.  One that is of importance to note is the photo of the Paracercion calamorum dyeri (Fraser, 1919), from the family Coenagrionidae.

This is the damselfly species that's a new record for Peninsular Malaysia.  You can refer to the earlier post here:  http://not-just-odonata.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-new-record-for-peninsular-malaysia.html

So here are the photos:

I wasn't the one who took these photos though, so the photo credits go to Robin and Wei Ling, as I was with them when we caught this species and they'd snapped these shots.

It is quite an attractive little blue damselfly, isn't it?

Libellulidae - Diplacodes nebulosa

Another Blue Dragonfly With Dark Wing Tips

This is another blue dragonfly with dark wing tips, a rather similar description as for the Cratilla metallica, but this dragonfly is much smaller in size and it is also of a lighter blue.

It is the Diplacodes nebulosa of the family Libellulidae and the male has hindwing length of only 19 mm.  According to the Pocket Guide, this species is widespread in tropical Asia.

I had come across this dragonfly for the first time in February-March 2010, over a year ago now, and have not seen it again since.  Perhaps because I have not been looking out for it in particular.

It would be nice to spot it again one of these days...

Libellulidae - Cratilla metallica

Cratilla metallica

The first time I came across this dragonly was over a year ago and I had recently spotted it again around the same area.

This blue dragonfly is the Cratilla metallica of the family Libellulidae.  It has hindwing length of 36-38mm and easily recognised by the dark wing tips.  This species is widespread in tropical Asia.

 
So far, I have only seen one individual each time and have not even seen a pair of them.  Sightings don't seem to be very often either and I try to take a few photos each time though it hasn't always been successful.

Sometimes, I do wonder how much time will elapse before I see it again?

Spreadwings In Tandem

Came across two species of the spreadwings today. 
Both are already in my checklist.

Nevertheless, as I do not often find them, it is always nice to get the opportunity for more photos, and hopefully better photos, of these species.

The Platylestes heterostylus is pictured above (female) and on the left (male) while the Lestes praemorsus (male) is shown on the right.

Both these damselflies of the family Lestidae are very similar looking but for the colour and markings...

And finding this tandem pair of Platylestes heterostylus has certainly made my day!

A rare find indeed!

Libellulidae - Tyriobabta torrida

Blue, Blue, Blue... Blue Is Beautiful!

I am still buoyed by the high of being on cloud nine having spent yesterday out exploring; when time stood still and I had been completely immersed in nature.

Add to that, to have this dragonfly flutter past my face and land to perch so close to me was an added bonus.

This dragonfly is the Tyriobapta torrida of the family Libellulidae.  According to The Pocket Guide, this dragonfly is "obvious by virtue of dark, slightly iridescent patch at hindwing base."  The male has hindwing length of 25-26 mm and these dragonflies can be found in forest swamps.

It is a beautiful dragonfly indeed.  And such a beautiful blue!

Sometimes, to have a dragonfly perched at such close proximity also makes it tricky for photography as I hadn't dared move much in case I scared it away before I could take any photos.

So these are the two best shots I did get and when I shifted again for a different angle, it did flutter away to land momentarily on a rock and then it flew off and disappeared...

Maybe I will find a pair of them the next time... who knows?

These dragonflies and nature itself always keep me in awe.

Who wouldn't?  After all, nature is just amazing... and nature keeps putting on such beautiful performances at sunset.  This is the view from my balcony this evening...

Here's a toast to nature!

Holding Your Breath

 

The current Southwest monsoon season can be a bit of a damper for dragonfly excursions.  Sometimes. 

Some days start out nice and sunny in the morning but the weather suddenly changes.  It then starts raining and the sky is overcast for most of the day after that.  Sometimes, the weather would be really nice but I would be tied up with work and other stuff instead.

Also, I have to admit to being a bit lazy sometimes, not wanting to do anything at all, even on a day when it is really nice but maybe a bit too hot as I have already been out in the sun quite enough during the week.

Ahhh... humans!  We are such complaining souls!  Without the sun and the rain, we would not have this beautiful, big blue marble!

Anyway, I have been wanting to share with you an observation about the ovipositing behaviour of these damselflies but for some reason, I have been putting it off till now.  These damselflies are of the Pseudagrion spp, Pseudagrion australasiae if I am correct.

There was this one afternoon a few months ago when I was at this pond filled with murky-looking stagnant water.  Yet, it was buzzing with activities. 

It's like there's been a mass wedding! 

There were lots of dragonflies and damselflies flying around.  A few were in tandem and in wheel, and even more were ovipositing in the pond.

With the P. australasiae, the male is in tandem or contact guarding while the female oviposits.  The reason for this behaviour is to ensure that the female can complete laying the eggs that have been fertilized with his sperm. 

In most species of dragonflies and damselfies, both the males and females may mate repeatedly.  Therefore, due to sperm competition, the males maintain tandem contact to prevent other males from displacing their sperm from the female damselfly before ovipositing is complete.  Contact guarding during oviposition also increases the probability of the female laying a complete clutch of eggs.

Sometimes, other male damselflies may attempt to disengage a pair in tandem to disrupt the copulation or oviposition process, clamoring to be her next suitor.

What do you think the male damselfly would do?

 

Here's a pair of damselfly with the male in tandem guarding during oviposition.

 

There was another male damselfly hovering around, so the female was pushed deeper into the pond.

 

And they kept going deeper till the female is now completely submerged.

 

As the place was still buzzing, they kept descending.

 

Until the male is also submerged and the female can now oviposit in peace.

 

This must be a favourite spot for these damselflies... another pair of damselflies started ovipositing here as well.

 

That female damselfly was submerged for quite a few minutes.  Most people can't even hold their breath underwater for that long!

Fascinating creatures!

 

 

A Colourful Damselfly

Recently visited a pond and found a good number of these damselflies there.

 

 

The Ceriagrion cerinorubellum... a rather colourful damselfly indeed!

Quite striking, actually.

 

 

Libellulidae - Potamarcha congener

Potamarcha congener

I was on my way to the park entrance and was walking past a row of parked cars, most of them with the windscreen wipers all standing up.  This practice of lifting the wipers off the glass and leaving it standing up is based on the belief that it will prolong the lifespan of the wiper blades.

Anyway, I then realised there was a dragonfly perched on one of these windscreen wipers.

 

 

I looked further up along the row of parked cars and there were dragonflies there too.

 

 

So I turned around to look at the ones I had walked past and there was a dragonfly on almost every windscreen wiper as well. 

 

 

I have been keeping an eye out for insects and birds, looking at trees and shrubs but not at these cars and that's where all the dragonflies are perched.  I just had to laugh then!

Each and every dragonfly perched on these wiper blades is the Potamarcha congener of the family Libellulidae.  The male has hindwing length of 33-34 mm.  It has blue pruinescence on its thorax and base of its abdomen with parallel orange streaks on the distal part of the abdomen till S8.  This species is common in open, disturbed habitats and widespread in tropical Asia.

 

 

The female is brown and obscurely marked.

 

 

I had first come across this species over a year ago and do not recall why I have not mentioned it before. 

Anyway, in recent weeks, I have been seeing lots of these dragonflies in many places.  I have seen quite a few pairs in wheel but could never get the chance to get any photos.  These dragonflies would be in wheel position and in flight for barely a minute and they would be out of it before you can even take a snap.

The female would then oviposit into the water by flipping the tip of its abdomen at various spots to scatter the fertilised eggs in the water while the male hovers overhead keeping guard.  The male dragonfly will chase away every dragonfly that comes near the female.

This female dragonfly was ovipositing into the pond.

 

 

There were certainly a lot of these dragonflies perched everywhere, mostly in high places.

 

 

 

Coenagrionidae - Pseudagrion australasiae

Talking About The Blues!

 

There was this one afternoon when there were quite a few mating pairs of Pseudagrion australasiae at the pond and I had a great day taking lots of photos of these damselflies in tandem, in wheel and ovipositing.

The Pseudagrion australasiae of the family Coenagrionidae is very similar to the P. microcephalum in a lot of ways but it is slightly larger.  The P. australasiae has hindwing length of 20 mm and can be distinguished by the marking on S10 and by its appendages.  This species is widely distributed in the Indo-Australian region.

It was quite cool just to watch all of them and learn a bit more about the behaviours of these damselflies.

 

A pair of Pseudagrion australasiae in tandem before going into wheel position.

 

A pair in wheel.

 

Two pairs of P. australasiae, one in wheel and the other in tandem.

 

Two pairs in tandem with the male in contact guarding while the female oviposits into the grassy pond.

 

And I will write about some of the observed behaviours another day.

 

 

Rhapsody In Blue?

A rhapsody?

 

 

In rhapsodic delight?

 

 

Rapturous?

 

 

A pair of Prodasineura laidlawii in tandem.

A 'Rhapsody In Blue' it is then...

 

 

Tandem Flight

I had recently come across the Pseudagrion australasiae in tandem flight and had the chance to take a few photos.  Not the best shots but...

This pair of damselflies was in tandem flight for quite a while, with another male damselfly on their tail. 

 

 

Then they perched on a leaf for a short rest before flying off again.

 

 

But I lost them after that...

 

 

Libellulidae - Aethriamanta gracilis

Which Blue Dragonfly?

This is another blue or bluish dragonfly that had me confused for a bit.  I had initially thought that it was the Brachydiplax chalybea because I had seen one in this area just a few minutes earlier.

However, this particular dragonfly was much smaller in size, so it prompted me to take a few photos to check it out further.

 

 

As it turned out, this is actually the Aethriamanta gracilis of the family Libellulidae.  Other than its small size, with hindwing length of 22mm, the other feature that differentiates it is the more open venation on its wings.  This species can be found in weedy ponds, it is local and generally uncommon though it is widespread in Sundaland.

I had managed to get only two photos before it darted off and I have not seen it again since.

Rats!

 

 

Libellulidae - Trithemis festiva

Another Trithemis Dragonfly

 

I had first come across this dark blue dragonfly early in the year and recently spotted it again in the last few weeks.  Both times at two different areas in Langkawi.

 

 

This dragonfly is the Trithemis festiva of the family Libellulidae.  The male has hindwing length of 28mm, it is common around streams and is widespread in tropical Asia.

The Trithemis festiva is often easily confused with the Indothemis limbata, another dark blue dragonfly of similar size. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Trithemis festiva (L) and Indothemis limbata (R)

Looking at both the photos above, the following comparisons can be made:  I. limbata has dark wing tips but not the T. festiva; the abdomen of the T. festiva is darker with orange streaks and lastly, the basal dark patch on the hindwing differs in shape for both dragonflies.

 

NOTE: Click on 'indothemis' in the Tags below for more info on this species.