An Early Riser

I have spent countless number of hours sitting by the pond during the mid to late morning and on several afternoons just watching these damselflies.  Nothing ever happens.  All they do is stay very still on their perch and some of them don't even budge until you get really, really close.  And only then would they flitter away to perch somewhere else and that's it.  

Nothing else happens!

So I'd started thinking perhaps these damselflies preferred their solitude?

It's great in a way because you can get in plenty of photos and these damselflies have such amazing bright colours and are really pretty to look at!  But, isn't the natural instinct always for the survival of the species?   Why aren't these damselflies doing anything?  What is their cycle or pattern of behaviour?

And then, one morning, I finally got to the pond early enough, as the sun was coming up behind the hills, and there they were.  There were a few pairs of these Ceriagrion cerinorubellum damselflies in wheel and in tandem.  

Beautiful!

Finally!

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!

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!

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!

 

 

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.

 

 

Spreadwings In Wheel

It is quite a rare occasion for me to spot two different species of the Lestidae family at the same location in one morning.  I was elated.

Hence, spotting the Spreadwing damselfies in wheel had me jumping for joy.

Literally speaking.

I did not actually jump for joy in the physical sense in case these damselflies take off in flight and I miss the opportunity for a few photos.  Otherwise I would have.

And although I did not manage to get the best photos of these damselflies in wheel position or the "Photo Of The Year" as I like to call it, it was still good to have managed to get a few shots. 

The difficulty was in getting a good angle for the shoot while at the same time trying not to disturb the damselflies and scare them away.  And then there's all the grasses that got in the way of getting a good view.....

Here is the pair of Lestes praemorsus in wheel position.

 

 

I was lucky to have spotted them when I did because I had time for just a few shots before they broke off from the wheel position but remained in tandem.

 

 

Soon after that, the female damselfly started ovipositing into the grassy pond with the male damselfly in contact guarding until the last of the fertilized eggs have been laid.

 

 

I am happy to have had the chance to observe this behaviour of this damselfy species.

 

 

To read more about this damselfly and for more photos, click on 'Lestes' in the Tags below.

 

 

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...

 

 

Pick Of The Day!

A mating pair of the Prodasineura laidlawii in tandem.

I had just missed catching them in wheel position, so that will be my quest for another day.  

 

 

Picks of The Week!

Prodasineura laidlawii, a mating pair in tandem.

 

Nymphs of the Flatid Leaf Bug clustered on a twig to feed on the plant sap.

 

A male Phalanta phalantha (The Small Leopard) hidden among leaf foliage.

 

Fungi.

 

Zeltis amasa (The Fluffy Tit) perched on a leaf.

 

A Digger Wasp - am glad it didn't take too much interest in me!

 

Cows butting heads early in the morning.

 

I kept my distance across the road.  The way this guy was looking at me, I thought he might even be thinking of butting my head next?

 

 

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!