Coenagrionidae - Aciagrion hisopa

More Of The Blues

 

Another blue damselfly! 

Don't ask me how I knew this would turn out to be a different species when I decided to take this photo.  I didn't.  I had thought it seemed a bit different and, true enough, it is different from all those other blue damselflies that I have come across previously.

This little blue damselfly is the Aciagrion hisopa of the family Coenagrionidae and this species is common in open areas.  The males have hindwing length of 17.5mm, S8-10 of its abdomen is blue and there is also the distinctive markings on its head.

 

 

 

View of the head and thorax of the Aciagrion hisopa.

 

 

 

S8-10 of the abdomen

 

Blue damselflies aside, perhaps I've got a bit of the blues too.  I am quite used to being on my own but since that hectic weekend in the valley, being home by myself is just not quite the same.  I am restless.  Anyway, I am sure I will get back into the swing of things soon enough.

And, perhaps, all I need right now is just another dose of nature.....

 

 

Same Same But Different

I know, I know... it sounds so cliched!

But then, that is exactly how it is!  This is another tiny blue damselfly and to the naked eye observer, it really does look like just another tiny blue damselfly in the pond.  Almost!

And after sitting there for quite a long time staring into the pond like I'm hoping to see the Loch Ness, but all the while watching all these tiny blue damselflies going about their business, you sort of start noticing vague differences in some of them.  The slightly different shades of blue, slightly bigger, slightly smaller...  something is just not quite the same.....

I must sound like I am crazy!  But that is how I ended up with so many photos of these tiny blue damselflies because there were that many of them in that pond.  And that is how, by chance, I came across this species when sorting through all those photos.

 

 

This damselfly is the Aciagrion borneense of the family Coenagrionidae.  As described in the Pocket Guide, the male has hindwing length of 11.5mm, with very light build and narrow wings and a continuous pale green bar across the posterior part of the head.  The marking on its abdomen is slightly different as well; S8-10 is blue laterally and you can see the black marking in the upper area of S8 and S10 in the above photo.  This species is locally common.

Frankly, I couldn't see all those features through the naked eyes.  And I wasn't hallucinating after all when I thought it looked different.  Nevertheless, it is true that passers-by often think I must be out of my mind and a lunatic, especially when I am crouched there next to a body of water under the hot sun in the heat of the day.  And at first glance, there is nothing there but some water... and maybe some grass.  Perhaps I should get myself kitted up with a fishing rod?

Anyway, cliched?  I rest my case!

 

Another Confusing Damselfly

When I first came across this damselfly a few months ago, I did not manage to get good photos and I wasn't sure if I had gotten the species identification correct.  Instead, I got myself confused as I could not recall its dimensions.

This morning, I revisited the trail and was lucky to find them again.  This time, at least, the photo is acceptable and I also remembered to check this damselfly for size.

And if I am right, then it should be the Argiocnemis rubescens of the family Coenagrionidae.  According to the Pocket Guide, the male of this species has hindwing length of 17mm and this is potentially another confusing species due to age related colour variation, which is also the case with the Agriocnemis femina.

 

 

The above photo shows the mature male of this species with blue thoracic markings and blue marking on its abdomen.  The Pocket Guide says that immatures have pale green head and thoracic markings with abdomen red.  The females would also have red abdomen when young, maturing to olive version with abdomen entirely dark above.

This next photo shows the same species but a half-mature damselfly, looks like a female if I am correct.

 

 

I often find these tiny damselflies rather confusing and difficult to identify and I am still learning as I go along.  I guess it would be like putting a jigsaw puzzle together because you have to figure it out piece by piece and keep trying till it fits.

Anyway, I love jigsaw puzzles, so.....

 

 

The Damselfly That Got Away!

 

This is one lucky damselfly indeed.

When I came across this damselfly, of the Pseudagrion species, it was actually on the water's surface and was trying to fly away as it had been caught in a spider's web.  It was fluttering its wings in vain as the spider's silk from the web was holding it back like a chain.  This damselfly kept struggling to get free.

Luckily for this damselfly, the spider did not get to it first and there was also some rubbish in this pond.  An old slipper to be exact.  And this damselfly, on one of its struggles, happened to land on the upturned slipper.  In this next photo, you can see the spider's silk quite clearly attached to the damselfly's abdomen.

 

 

Now that it's got a surface to hold on, this damselfly pulled with all it's might like a buffalo pulling a load uphill.  The textured surface of the slipper would have helped give a good grip going against the tensile strain of the silk, I guess.  It just kept walking and pushing forward step by step till the silk broke. 

In this next photo, you can see it straining against the pull of the spider's silk as it forged on.

 

 

Once it got free of the tangle, it flew off to a perch and tried to clean itself of the remnant trail of spider silk still attached to it.  It was swinging its abdomen back and forth in a series of swings and stretches.  I do realise it was in distress but what can I do but observe its behaviour and take a few photos?  So here they are.  Frankly, it was rather amazing to watch the damselfly's agility in its swinging and "gymnastic-like" movements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then finally it stops to rest!

 

 

What a start to the day for this little blue damselfly!

 

 

Another Blue Damselfly

Since the padi fields have been flooded, I have found another haunt for my 'hunting'.  And it is also not far from home.  This is a pond with slow moving water, almost stagnant, and there are also grassy areas in the pond.  Another perfect spot for quite a few species of dragonflies and damselflies.

I had a field day!

 

 

This blue damselfly is the Pseudagrion microcephalum of the family Coenagrionidae.  I actually came across this damselfly a few months ago at another grassy pond but it was a large pond there and I could not get close enough for a good photo.  Even here in this small pond, I was still straining, but at least I can now get a good look at this damselfly.

The Pseudagrion microcephalum has hindwing length of 18mm and can be found on drains and ponds.  The females have patterns of olive green, pale blue and black and this species is actually widespread in the Indo-Australian tropics.  It has a paler blue compared to the Prodasineura laidlawii, so it is not as striking in colour but not less of a beauty anyway.

I did not see any mating pair in wheel position but I did come across a pair in tandem as they remain perched on a grass stalk after copulation.  Later, they flew about looking for a spot for the female to lay her eggs.

 

 

While flying in tandem looking for a suitable place for oviposition, I actually observed another male damselfly of the same species come near to this pair.  A short chase then ensued to get this intruder away while the pair still remained in tandem.

Finally, having found the right spot, the female proceeded to lay her eggs.  The male damselfly of this species engaged in contact guarding of the female in that the pair remained in tandem after copulation and during oviposition.

 

 

You can see from the photo above that the head of the female damselfly was barely just above the waterline while she oviposited into some grass stem in the pond.  At some point, she was completely dunked into the water and I could only watch in horror and amazement at the same time.

 

 

In the photo above, only the folded wings of the female damselfly could be seen out of the water.  Her whole head and body had been completely dunked into the pond during oviposition.

Seeing is believing.....

Anyway, you can see from some photos of odonata that these dragonflies and damselflies have tiny hairs on their heads and bodies.  And I have since learned that there are some species of odonata where the female would dive under the water's surface to oviposit.  These tiny hairs create a pocket of air so they would still be able to breathe while underwater, long enough to complete oviposition.

Amazing creatures, aren't they?

 

 

Captivated By Damselflies

 

Here is another species I encountered a few days ago.  It is a very beautiful damselfly with striking blue markings.  And it was simply such an attractive damselfly that all I did was stare at him for a while, just taking in the amazing beauty of it all.  I was captivated. 

The only thoughts running through my head was simply, "Wow!"  And then again, "Wow!"

This damselfly is the Prodasineura laidlawii of the family Protoneuridae.  Protoneuridae is a family of slender, delicate damselflies, with narrow, clean wings.  This family of damselfly is also commonly referred to as Threadtails or Threadtail Damselflies, as you can see why...

 

 

This male damselfly has a hindwing length of 19mm and a long, pin-thin abdomen with a length of 31mm.  The blue marking on its thorax is thin and it also has a blue band on its head.  Even the tip of his abdomen (S9-S10) is blue above.  The female has very similar markings to the male.

The Prodasineura laidlawii can be found on forest streams.

I also came across a tandem pair with the female ovipositing in the fast flowing stream. 

I stood there and hadn't dared move at all in case I would disturb them.  What registered in my mind at the time was the striking blue of the damselflies against the glittering gold reflections of the stream, which was quite a contrast! 

 

 

The male damselfly hovered above and maintained a hold on the female while she laid her eggs.  The purpose is to keep guard to ensure she can finish laying the eggs that have been fertilized with his sperms.  She was ovipositing into some submerged roots in the fast flowing stream.

 

 

The whole process took quite a few minutes, after which the male released his grip on her and went away to perch on the bank of the stream to rest.  Meantime, the female remained in the same position for a while before finally flying away to her own hiding place to rest.

 

 

Now you can understand why these dragonflies and damselflies intrigue me.  I am, perhaps, even a little obsessed with them.....

As I have said before, nature is just intoxicating.

 

Ischnura senegalensis

This is one of the first damselflies I came across in the padi fields. 

It is the Ischnura senegalensis, of the family Coenagrionidae, and is sometimes referred to as the Senegal Bluetail or Common Bluetail because of the bright blue marking at the tip of its abdomen.

This species is common and often found in disturbed, open habitats including still and slowly flowing water.
It is very small in size.  And certainly tiny compared to the robust-looking dragonflies you usually see zapping around. 

To give you an idea, the hindwing length is 15mm for this damselfly.  The wings seem so delicate and the venation simply intricate.  Yes, it is hard to imagine something can be so tiny and yet have so many patterns and colours on it.

Female damselflies of this species are polymorphic in that they have different colour forms from the male, specifically olive and orange forms.  In addition, there is also an andromorph form like the male.

Mother Nature is truly amazing with her creations!

Ischnura senegalensis, female, olive form

 

Ischnura senegalensis, female, orange form