Orchithemis pulcherrima

Anisoptera

Species Name: Orchithemis pulcherrima

Family: Libellulidae

I was pleasantly surprised when I came across this small dragonfly near a pond in the oil palm plantation recently as I have never seen it in Sabah before. I first saw and photographed this species in the Lambir Hills National Park in Miri, Sarawak in 2006.

This species is rather interesting because of its many colour forms or morphs. At least four distinct colour forms are known - orange, red, blue and a dark almost black form with a white band on its abdomen. 

This male, like the one I saw in Miri is of the orange variety.

The geographical range of this libellulid is recorded as Vietnam, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, Borneo, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Raphismia bispina

Anisoptera

Species Name: Raphismia bispina

Family: Libellulidae

Female

Last week on a short visit to the Borneo Paradise Eco-resort near Lahad Datu, Sabah I saw and photographed a small female libellulid on the mangrove edge which I had never seen before. When Rory Dow saw the photo which I emailed to him he said it looked like the female of Raphismia bispina a mangrove specialist. On checking the books and on the Net I found out that the male is a small blue fellow that resembles Brachydiplax chalybea, and I suddenly recalled seeing what I thought was a very skittish B. chalybea at the same place.

Male guarding a pond

Well, today I went to look for this male and found quite a few of them in the mangrove forest at the resort. Almost every small tidal pond (of salt water) has at least one male guarding it. And I also saw a female ovispositing in one of the ponds jealously guarded by the resident male.

Male perched on mangrove seedling

At first glance the males look like B. chalybea except that they are a bit smaller and the shade of blue is slightly different. But unlike the latter they are very skittish flying away at the slightest movement and landing further away. It took me quite some time and very patient stalking to get my first satisfactory shot.

I also tried to take some photos of their underside (upskirt photos!!) to try to show the signatory twin spines on their thorax behind the hind legs and the process projecting beneath on segment 2 of the abdomen. See if you can spot these on the photos.

Male, the process on abdominal segment 2 is clearly 

visible, but the pair of spines behind legs are less so

Acisoma panorpoides

Anisoptera

Species Name: Acisoma panorpoides

Family: Libellulidae

Male

At first glance this small species looks like Diplacodes travialis even the males and females in both species are similarly coloured blue and pale greenish yellow respectly. However look closer and you'll see that their abdomens look "pregnant", bulging at the base and thin at the tail end. This unique shape gives it the common name the Pintail.

Female

Acisoma panorpoides is a very widespread Libellulid being recorded

from South Africa and Madagascar to the Mediterranean, into

mainland Asia and Southeast Asia.

Previously thought to be absent from the northern part Borneo, I had

photographed it in Lahad Datu, Sabah as well as Tuaran, near Kota

Kinabalu where I found it to be very common near paddy fields.

Diplacodes trivalis

Anisoptera

Species Name: Diplacodes trivalis

Family: Libellulidae

Mature Male

This small dragonfly is in my opinion the commonest species in open places and drains and other disturbed areas. They can be found far from water in the lowlands as well as higher altitudes. The males are pruinose blue with black markings, while females and immature males are pale green. Looking somewhat like mini Orthetrum sabina they usually perch on the ground or on low grass.

Female Chalky Percher

This species is commonly called the Chalky Percher or Ground Skimmer and is very widespread in tropical Asia and Australiasia.

Xiphiagrion cynomelas

Zygoptera
Species Name: Xiphiagrion cynomelas
Family: Coenagrionidae

This is another species of blue-coloured damselflies that are common in drains, lily ponds and stagnant bodies of water. They resemble Pseudagrion microcephalum but are smaller and both these species often share the same ponds. As with the latter species the male remained paired with the female while she lays her eggs onto water weeds and many pairs can be seen ovipositing en masse.

The male is blue on the sides of its thorax and black dorsally with two blue spots just behind the head, the abdomen is black tipped with blue. Females are similarly marked but dark olive instead of black as in the male. this dark area also lack blue spots.

Distribution: Borneo, Philippines, Indonesia.

Rhinocypha humeralis

Zygoptera
Species Name: Rhinocypha humeralis
Family: Chlorocyphidae

(Photos: Top - female, Lok Kawi Wilife Park, Kota Kinabalu;
Bottom - male, Madai Waterfalls, Lahad Datu)

In the cool forested streams in the hills where we love to enjoy our picnics and a dip in the clear water there is a whole new set of damselflies and dragonflies that are not found in the hot open places. Many of the damselflies found here are beautifully coloured, with magnificent metallic blue, green and black and other really cool colours. Look closely in the small bushes on the river banks and on the rocks and debris in the water itself. You will surely find some really interesting odonates.

Rhinocypha humeralis is one of the blue-coloured species, the males is painted in bright sky blue on black from his "face"and eyes to the tip of his abdomen, the basal two-thirds of both his wing are clear while the remaining third tip is black. His mate is less brightly hued and looks a little faded compared to the male, her wings are similarly coloured but the black tip is smaller than that of the male.

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.