Trithemis aurora

Anisoptera

Species name: Trithemis aurora

Family: Libellulidae

A whole year has passed since I last posted in this blog! I just can't believe how time passes so fast! Well, at least I still have one post in 2010. Hopefully more...

Male in all its splendour

Female

The Crimson Dropwing is a common dragonfly of open ponds and drains. The male is brightly coloured - its whole body as well as the viens on its wings are bright pinkish crimson. Quite a sexy guy, who likes to show off his colours basking in the sun while assuming the obelisk posture! The female however is comparatively dull - she's light brownish.

Male in obelisk posture

Female doing handstand! What he can do so can she!

This is a widespread species with a geographic range that cover the whole of Asia.

Anax guttatus

Anisoptera
Species name: Anax guttatus
Family: Aeshnidae
Anax guttatus is heavy-bodied and an unmistakable common dragonfly of open habitats that is often seen in drains, ponds and swamps. The eyes, thorax and the base of the abdomen are mainly green in colour while the 2nd and 3rd abdominal sections are bright blue and the rest of the abdomen being dark brown with lighter spots. Both sexes are similarly marked. The males are often seen "patrolling" back and fro ceaselessly along big drains and over ponds almost the whole day long and well into the early evening. The female can sometimes be seen ovipositing while clinging to floating vegetation or twigs (this one in my photo was sitting on waterlily pads) and is quite fearless when doing so, which could be quite dangerous at times as she can be quite vulnerable to predators. In fact I had seen one being attacked by a green paddy frog.

This species commonly called the Lesser Green Emperor has a very wide distribution range - from Japan, China, all of Southeast Asia to Micronesia. It is also found in Africa.

Hydrobasileus croceus

Anisoptera
Species Name: Hydrobasileus croceus
Family: Libellulidae

The Amber-winged Glider is quite a common dragonfly around ponds in open areas, however they are almost always seen on the wing "sailing" to and fro non-stop. Males and females are similarly coloured and marked.

This species has a vast range all over Asia, from Japan and China to India and in the whole of Southeast Asia.

Photo above: A pair "in tandem" photographed over a pond where the female lays her eggs among the thick water weeds.

An empty larval case or exuvia
of H. croceus.

Tetrathemis irregularis

Anisoptera
Species Name: Tetrathemis irregularis
Family: Libellulidae


This attractive small dragonfly with the large blue eyes is usually found near rivers, swamps or ponds in or close to the jungle. It perches on vegetation or twigs close to the water edge from which it flies out to catch its prey. The sexes are said to be similarly coloured and marked. My photos show a male taken at a forest edge pond in Silam, Lahad Datu.

Neurothemis terminata

Anisoptera
Species Name: Neurothemis terminata
Family: Libellulidae

This is one of the common red-winged dragonflies that one sees often in drains, small ditches and ponds. There are several species of Neurothemis whose males typically have dark red pigmented wings with some clear (hyaline) areas, usually at the tips. The females however usually have clear wings with some darker markings. The common species are quite similar in appearance and are difficult to identify in the field.

N. terminata is common on Borneo, most of Indonesia, the Philippines and less so in Peninsular Malaysia.

Pseudagrion microcephalum

Zygoptera
Species Name: Pseudagrion microcephalum
Family: Coenagrionidae

This is one of the species of blue-coloured damselflies that are very common in drains, lily ponds and large open swamps or lakes. They are about twice a large as Agriocnemis femina and are often seen mating and ovipositing in the afternoon. The male remained paired with the female while she lays her eggs onto water weeds.

The colour of the male is blue with black stripes on its thorax and the abdomen is mainly black with a blue tip. Females are olive green, pale blue and black.

Agriocnemis femina

Zygoptera
Species Name: Agriocnemis femina
Family: Coenagrionidae

Look in the grass beside drains and ponds in open areas near your house or in the paddy fields and you will almost surely find this species of damselfly. You have to look closely as they are really small and because their colour changes with age and the sexes are different in colour, they are a bit confusing and difficult to identify properly. Furthermore many small damselflies look very similar so it’s really hard for us non-experts to confirm the species.

Young males are green and black in colour with the tip of the abdomen (“tail”) orange, but as they grow older they become darker and the thorax becomes covered with a white growth called pruinescence and the orange at tip of its abdomen fades. So with naked eye they look little white bodied insects with dark “tails”.

Immature females on the other hand are bright red which turn olive greenish with dark brown markings.

I used to think they were four different species!