The Third Copera Brother

I still remember when I first came across the Copera vittata early last year and was quite fascinated by the phantom feel of the immature damselfly as it moved around almost invisibly among the forest undergrowth while the adult Copera vittata had such brightly coloured orange-red legs that made me gape.  A few weeks after that, I had another 'wow' moment when I found the Copera ciliata and was charmed by the white legs of those damselflies. 

This past week, the third Copera brother gave me another 'wow' moment when I suddenly realised there was a tiny yellow damselfly perched ever so quietly on the grass blade amidst all the fanfare of the dancing Vestalis damselflies.

This damselfly, the Copera marginipes of the family Platycnemididae, is marked with yellow streaks and has flattened yellow legs.  The male has hindwing length of 17 mm.  This species is widespread in tropical Asia.

Anyway, I am now wondering why I hadn't taken more photos of this damselfly and from different angles too.  I have taken only a few good photos, all from the same angle...

Sigh...  I wonder if I will be able to find it again along that forest stream?

Take a look at the three Copera brothers side by side...
...and look at those legs! 
Wow!

Copera vittata

Copera ciliata

Copera marginipes

Platycnemididae - Copera marginipes

Got What I Wanted!

I set out on the forest trail the other day, to look for damselflies in particular, and got what I wanted...  the Copera vittata damselflies!

There were two male damselflies and one of them was in tandem with a female damselfly.  I wondered if I had missed the chance of getting photos of a pair in wheel?  Anyway, here is the pair of these damselflies in tandem.

And they were in tandem for a long time, which gave me lots of opportunities to take more photos though not all of them are worth sharing.  It is not the easiest task to hold the camera still when your adrenalin is pumping somewhat and you're trying to inch slowly, hoping you don't disturb the damselflies and lose them while you try to compose the picture.  And you're holding your breath to hold still and then your'e trying to breathe at the same time...

Anyway, after having been in tandem for some time, the female started flexing her abdomen inward and upwards and the pair went into wheel position in a flash. 

I was in luck!

And finally, a pair of Copera vittata damselflies in wheel position!

These damselflies were in copulation for quite a while during which I just sat and waited.  After about 20 minutes, copulation was completed and the pair remained in tandem for a long period before they disappeared, probably for the oviposition.

My next mission is to get photos of an ovipositing pair!

Pics Of The Week!

What can I say... it's been a great week spending lots of time up close with nature.

These are some of the pics taken this week of some of the dragonflies and damselflies.


Lestes praemorsus

Copera vittata

Prodasineura laidlawii

Trithemis aurora

Ictinogomphus decoratus

Orthetrum sabina

Crocothemis servilia

Brachydiplax chalybea

Platycnemididae - Copera vittata

The Ghost Damselfly!

I had stumbled upon this tiny damselfly quite unexpectedly while exploring along a forest stream early in the year.  The truth is that I would have missed it if I hadn't caught that tiny flicker of movement among the leaf litter on the ground.

 

 

This is the Copera vittata of the family Platycnemididae.  The male has hindwing length of 16mm and it is a very slender and dainty damselfly.  The above photo shows a female damselfly of this species.  It really is tiny and its size and colour makes it blend very well into its surroundings making it almost invisible, like a ghost damselfly!

As I walked further along on the trail, I came across another damselfly of the same species but this time it was an immature damselfly and this was a short distance away from the stream.

 

 

As you can see, this immature damselfly has a pale ivory colouring, known as 'ghost' form, according to the Pocket Guide.  Again, it was actually quite inconspicuous among the twigs and leaf litter.  I had barely managed to get two shots and it disappeared from view.

So I went back to the trail again several days later to look this immature damselfly.

 

 

In just three days, it had developed some maturity, lost the pale ivory colouring and its legs are now a deeper yellow.  According to the Pocket Guide, the adult males would have legs of orange red colour.

Again, just two good shots before it flittered its wings and, like an apparition, disappeared into the forest!

 

 

A Tie For Top Spot!

These two pics of the Copera ciliata remain favourites!  And I like both pics just as much.

 

A pair of Copera ciliata in tandem while the female oviposits into the flower of the Utricularia aurea or Golden Bladderwort.

 

The same pair of Copera ciliata, still in tandem, with the female ovipositing into the muddy pond, creating a mirror image.

 

Click here or on "copera" in the tag below to read more about this damselfly in earlier entries.

 

 

In Wheel And Ovipositing - Copera ciliata

I decided to do a stake-out at one of the ponds this morning.  I have been thinking... if I sit there long enough and keep watch, I would eventually observe something happening, right? 

This theory have been proven true once again.  Towards the end of the stake-out, which actually lasted more than 3 hours, I had to put up with some discomfort from a full bladder but it was certainly well worth it.  After all, the saying that holding back will cause your full bladder to explode is really only a myth.

The stake-out was fruitful and as you can guess, I've got myself more photos of dragonflies and damselflies to add to my collection so I am rather pleased with the whole thing.

Actually, I was hoping to get a shot of the Tholymis tillarga that I have seen patrolling tirelessly at the pond but that did not happen.  Eventually, my focus went to the Copera ciliata instead.  I had posted some info and photos of this species in an earlier article, read it here.

Anyway, here's a photo of the Copera ciliata perched on a grass leaf that is still wet with dew this morning.

 

 

I did not see how it all started but all of a sudden there was this pair of Copera ciliata in wheel right in front of me, so I took tons of photos of them.  Although it was not mentioned in the Pocket Guide, I now know that the female has similar markings to the male and it looks to me that the female is more whitish in colour.  The next photo shows a pair of Copera ciliata in copula.

 

 

And then I sat and waited again.  After quite some time, having finished receiving the sperm pouch from the male to fertilise her eggs, the female straightened out her abdomen but the pair of Copera ciliata continued to remain in tandem for ages and they remained perch in the same place.

 

 

Perhaps due to activities of other dragonflies buzzing around, the tandem pair then flew away to perch on another grass leaf and this happened a few times.

 

 

After that, it was only the female damselfly who would perch while the male damselfly kept his hold on her and remained overhead to guard her.  But all they did was fly and perch, then fly and perch.

 

 

Eventually, while still in tandem, the female started ovipositing her eggs when she stopped at a perch.  The male kept his hold on her and was contact guarding the female all the time throughout the whole process.

 

 

Ovipositing occurred at various locations dispersed over a small area of the pond.  The female damselfly oviposited both into the grass stems above the water and also into the grassy pond.

After that, I lost them.

Even then, I am glad to have observed the wheel position and ovipositing behaviour of these damselflies.  It has certainly made my day!

 

 

Platycnemididae - Copera ciliata

White Legs

I decided to do a bit of exploring early this morning before getting to work and did not come back disappointed.

Spotted the Copera ciliata of the family Platycnemididae today. 

Initially, what I noticed was a small blurry whitish blob that was moving around rather stealthily, almost like a ghostly shadow, and I could vaguely see the tail or abdomen to realise it was a damselfly but I couldn't figure out what it was.  So I followed it.  When it finally perched and I zoomed in and saw it close-up for the first time, it was a nice surprise to see another species of damselfly that is new to me. 

This damselfly is dainty, it is beautiful and it looks rather unique because of the white legs.

 

 

The Pocket Guide describes this species as having clear white bands on the thorax but I thought what I saw was more of a blueish tint on this damselfly.

 

 

This species is widespread in tropical Asia.

 

 

Damselflies Galore

Taken on 10-Aug-2009
Langkawi