Ceriagrion bellona

Zygoptera

Species Name: Ceriagrion bellona

Family: Coenagrionidae

Members of the genus Ceriagrion are indeed some of the most beautiful damselflies, they come in shades of red, green and yellow. Back in 2005 when I just started to photograph and learn about Odonata I found some mating and ovipositing pairs of C. bellona along a small stream in hill country on the forest edge in Tambunan. The thorax of the males are orange and greenish with bright red abdomens while the females are mainly olive green. Males look quite similar to C. cerinorubellum which is the commoner of the two Ceriagrion species found in Borneo.

C. bellona is restricted to north Borneo and is recorded at 1000m on Mount Kinabalu as well as in the lowlands at Danum Valley.

Agrionoptera insignis

Anisoptera
Species Name: Agrionoptera insignis
Family: Libellulidae

Male

A small dragonfly of lowland forest swamp and sluggish streams, also found in shaded drains in plantations and disturbed areas. Its thin red (in the male, the female is more dull orange) abdomen with a swollen base would serve to identify it from several similarly coloured species. The synthorax is metallic blue with yellow markings in both sexes, duller in the female. It is usually seen perched on water side vegetation.

Female

The species is widespread in tropical Asia and Australasia with several sub-species recognised. The Bornean ssp is insignis. In Australia its common name is the Red Swampdragon.

Orthetrum testaceum

Anisoptera
Species Name: Orthetrum testaceum

Family: Libellulidae

Close-up view of male O. testaceum

This is one of the largest of the red dragonflies. However it's only the males that are red, the female is olive-green to brown in colour. The males are often seen perched near ponds and drains, flying every now and then. The females are seldom seen, and come to water only during mating and egg-laying when the males will guard her by hovering like a helicopter over her.

This dragonfly is very common in Borneo and is also found in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines and Burma.