Damselfly in Pastels

 

This damselfly is so tiny that you could easily have missed it if you don't keep an eye out for these little creatures.  And though it looks rather colourful close-up, it can also quite easily blend into its surroundings just as well with its colours.  This damselfly that I found has a rather pretty pastel yellow thorax, green compound eyes and an orangey-reddish abdomen.  The abdomen would be rather red in mature males.

This damselfly is the Ceriagrion auranticum of the family Coenagrionidae.  According to the Pocket Guide, the male has hindwing length of 17mm and it is widespread in mainland tropical Asia.

 

 

I have only seen this species of damselflies on two separate occasions in all these months and so far only one single individual each time.  That's how infrequent the sightings can be for some of these species though it is listed as widespread in the Pocket Guide.  So you can imagine it is quite a pleasant surprise to stumble upon them once in a while.

I must admit I have not been out looking for dragonflies for a while.  Lately, it has been so hot that after a day's work out kayaking in the sun, all I want to do after that is to rest in my cool, shady nest at home.  But I think I will be needing another dose of dazzling dragonflies and damselflies again one of these days to put a smile on my face...

 

Updated 20 Jan 2010:

Ian has kindly pointed out that the adult Ceriagrion chaoi has red eyes while the C. auranticum has green eyes.  So, there you go..... the mature C. chaoi has yellow thorax, red abdomen and red eyes while the C. auranticum has green thorax, orange abdomen and green eyes...  And what have I got here?  Green eyes, yellow abdomen and yellowish-orangey abdomen.  How confusing can these creatures be?

 

 

A Tiny Visitor

On one of the days when I thought I would be stuck 'indoors' with work and would not have the chance for any jaunts in the outdoors, I had a visitor instead.  I was tending to some potted plants in the morning when this tiny dragonfly came by and perched on a basil leave right next to me.

You can imagine my surprise!  This is like, "Wow!"
I have only just ventured into the world of dragonflies and damselflies and as yet, have not seen such a tiny dragonfly before.  Damselflies, yes.  But a dragonfly this small?  The basil leave gives you a good comparison for size!


I stared at him and he stared back at me!  He seemed totally unfazed by me being so close to him.  After having had a good look to commit it to memory in case he flies off, I ran in, grabbed my camera and was certainly glad he was still resting there now that I am ready for his poses.

It looks like he had just had a morning meal, maybe?  And there is some leftover grub on his white face?  Or maybe it is just some dirt?  Still, he looked totally grand!  Later, he did clean up and did some grooming...


This is an immature male of the Diplacodes trivialis.  The hindwing length of the Diplacodes trivialis is 23mm.  It is of the family Libellulidae and is common in tropical Asia.  The adult male is a pruinose blue while the immature male has pale yellow markings.  The female is similar in markings to the immature male. 
The only way to tell the difference in gender is by looking at the abdomen.  The male bears accessory genitalia on the underside of the second segment (S2) and from the last segment (S10) would emerge anal appendages that differ from the female.

I remained there for a while, fascinated by this unexpected visitor.  After some time, I went back to my own work giving him the chance to stare at me for a change.

Little things do make big impacts!  And this tiny dragonfly has certainly made my day!