That Gomphidae!

This is the one and only photo that I have of this Gomphidae dragonfly.

And this was the one and only time that I had spotted this guy.

It was far away.
But I took a chance and got this pic.
I did think it might buzz off when I approach.
And it did.

So I had just this one and only photo of this dragonfly.
And I couldn't be certain which species of Gomphidae it is.
This photo was then filed away as "unidentified".
And there in the folder it did sit.

It has been over a year since then.
And recently with the help of Dragonflyman.
At long last!
A name it does have.

The Gomphidia machlachlani.
A robust dragonfly with pale markings on its body.
Hindwing length of the male is 41 mm.
Local in Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Southern Thailand.

I have been hoping for another rendezvous with this dragonfly.
When will it be?

Gomphidae - Macrogomphus spp

Found this exuvia of the Macrogomphus spp at the edge of the lotus pond. It measures approx. 6.5cm in length.

Outdoors = Nature = ;-)

Today turned out to be one for enjoying the pleasures of being in the outdoors, be it rain or shine, and simply enjoying nature.  And as it turned out, I have added more photos to my collection for dragonflies, damselflies and grasshoppers.

One of the first damselflies I spotted was the Heliocypha biforata.

And here's the female damselfly.

The Vestalis gracilis.  These damselflies were practically everywhere today!

The Vestalis gracilis, up close.

The Neurobasis chinensis, male.

A very young, teneral dragonly.
I had assumed it to be the Orthetrum sabina but I stand corrected.  It is the teneral dragonfly of the Gomphidae family. 

 

Thanks to dragonflyman for pointing it out.

Due to its large size, this is likely an exuvia of a dragonfly. 
I was thinking... a stone carving that looks like this would be strangely fascinating as the centrepiece in a garden.

A grasshopper feeding on a leaf...

Also came across a snake, but that will be the story for another day.....

Gomphidae - Ictinogomphus decoratus

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

Gomphidae - Paragomphus capricornis

A Banded Hooktail

It is hard to believe so many days have gone by since I last jotted down any of my thoughts on anything.

Seriously, I can't imagine what could have taken up so much of my time recently.  I guess it is a little bit of everything and you know how everything sometimes just happen all at once such that you would be done in by the time you are all done for the day.

And as you can guess, because of everything else, I have not been spending as much time as I would like going out there looking for dragonflies.  I can certainly feel the need to spend more time with nature.  I just have not been getting enough of being close to nature and it is driving me insane!

Anyway, there was this one morning when I did get out there and sat next to a stream to listen to the sound of water as it flowed and gurgled its way through over the rocky bed. 

What could be sweeter?

Perched on a rock nearby was a dragonfly, apparently doing the same thing as I was.

At first glance I had thought it to be the Ictinogomphus decoratus but out of the blue, it hit me that this dragonfly seems to be much smaller in size.  I couldn't tell immediately what else made it different so I took a few photos to get a better look.

You can imagine the surprise and excitement when it dawned on me that I was not looking at the Decorative Tiger but an entirely different species altogether.

 

 

This is the Paragomphus capricornis of the family Gomphidae.  This dragonfly has hindwing length of 22-24mm, with orangy-yellow and black banding.  It is a small and robust dragonfly and the males have long scimitar-like superior appendages.

 

 

This species is widespread in Peninsular Malaysia, yet this is the first time I have come across it.

Of late, days like this seem to be fewer and far between.  I certainly do miss going on my jaunts along these streams and forest trails.....

 

 

A Clubtail

It has been a long day.  But, yes... it was another great dragonfly day!

As I was walking towards the pond this morning, a dragonfly shot out from nowhere on my right and landed on the floor directly in front of me.  I managed to get a shot of it before it flew off.  Later, at another pond, I spotted this species again and took a few more photos. 

Here's a photo of the dragonfly that greeted me this morning...

 

 

It is the Ictinogomphus decoratus of the family Gomphidae.  The male has hindwing length of 39mm, it is common in open habitats and is widespread in this region.

 

 

The Gomphidae family of dragonflies are also known as Clubtails due to the enlarged abdominal segment, from S7 to S9, which gives it a club-like appearance.  It is especially more prominent in the males.

 

 

As these dragonflies are on average a little larger and also more stocky-looking, the "Clubtails" do give them a somewhat beastly appearance sometimes.  Bouncers come to mind.  Yet, these dragonflies are usually very wary and will fly off when approached making it quite a task to take photos of them.

 

 

The above photo shows the Ictinogomphus decoratus perched on the same twig as a red dragonfly, I'm guessing the Crocothemis servilia,  while another red dragonfly buzzed by.

 

 

My Dragonfly Gallery