Damselfly (16b) - Amphicenis gracilis, Male

I am happy to have finally photographed a male, Amphicenis gracilis. Typically of this species, it perched near a small pool of smelly muddy water under very dim surrounding.  It was pretty tough shooting in such poor lighting condition especially this damselfly is highly sensitive to the use of flash.  As such, most of my images are captured without flash such as this one:

  

(Lornie Trail - 21 May 2011)

The following image is the only acceptable shot with flash:

(Shot with fill flash)

I will certainly revisit this place to get improvement shots as well as close-up.

See related posts:

16 - Amphicenis gracilis

16a - Improvement shots of a pretty immature female, A. gracilis

Dragonfly (41) - Nesoxenia Lineata

Family : Libellulidae
Common Name : Striped Grenadier
Status : Uncommon forest species
Location : Lornie Trail

According to the "Singapore Dragonfly Book", this is an uncommon forest species which has been recorded  only in MacRichie Reservior and Kent Ridge.  It looks quite similar to Agrionoptera Insignis especially from the side view.  My way of differiating these 2 species are (1) N. Lineata is slightly smaller than A. Insignis; (2) the dorsum of the thorax of N. Lineata is pale blue in colour; (3) for N. Lineata, only abdominal segments 6-8 are red in colour while the abdomen of A. Insignis is red throughout.  From the dorsal view, it also looks a little like the male Agrionoptera Sexlineata.

(Lornie Trail - 25 Aug 2010)

This was spotted along Lornie Trail just after the golf link, my first sighting.  It perched quite high up on a twig and I had to fully stretch the tripod on the board walk in order to get an eye level shot.  It stayed there for a long period without moving abit except glancing at me occasionally while I took pictures of it.  I wanted to get a dorsal view but it was too high up for me.

Dragonfly (39) - Gynacantha Subinterrupta

Family : Aeshnidae
Common Name : Dingy Duskhawker
Status : Uncommon forest species
Location : Tagore Forest

This uncommon species is large in size with an unique and attractive turquoish green eyes.  The male has a green thorax with green and blue markings on the base of its abdomen.  There is a distinct, dark T-shaped mark on the supper surface of the frons.

This was my first sighting of this dragonfly at the forested area in Tagore Drive this morning.  My first impression was that it should be a Gynacantha Dohrni as both look so similar in terms of size, colours and design.  I had seen G. Dohrni about 2 to 3 times at Venus Drive more than a year ago and, if I recalled correctly, G. Subinterrupta should be slightly bigger in size than G. Dohrni.

This dragonfly perched on a small tree trunk near a fast flowing stream.  The surrounding was quite dim under the forest canopy making it difficult to photograph.  Although I could only manage some records shots on the dorsal view and some close-up shots of it, I am happy to have added this species to my collection.  There are many small branches and leaves surrounding the perch and when I tried to clear them away hoping to get some side view shots, it flew away and disappeared into the forest.

(Male - Tagore Forest, 040910)

Afternote : I joined the Informal Macro Outing Group at Thanggam forest yesterday.  My friend, Allan Lee,  found a uncommon dragonfly and knowing that I like to collect dragonflies, he kindly offer me to shoot.  The surrounding was quite dim and it was difficult to identify its id there.  Mr Tang later confirmed that it was a female G. Subinterrupta which looks similar to the male except for its duller colours. 

(Female - Thanggam Forest, 25 Sep 2010) 

Damselfly (27) - Podasineura Interrupta

Family : Protoneuridae
Common Name : Interrupted Threadtail
Status : Uncommon forest species
Location : Endau-Rompin Natural Park, Malaysia

This is an uncommon damselfly that frequents dark forest streams.  In Singapore, it can only be found in Central Catchment and Bukit Timah Nature Reserves but I have not seen one here yet. 

(Male - Endau-Rompon National Park, 31 Aug 2010)

My first encounter with this species was at Panti forest, Malaysia but I didn't get any shots of it as I was busy shooting other species.  This was my 2nd sighting and it was spotted recently at a stream in Endau-Rompin National Park. 

(Side view - 31 Aug 2010)

The thorax of the male has nice bright blue bands on it as seen in the above image.  The upper part of the eyes is black and blue colour at the bottom half.

(Dorsal view - 31 Aug 2010)

One way to identify this species is to check the distinctive blue dorsal markings on it abdominal segments 9-10.  Also, there are two blue marks on the head near the eyes.  I hope to meet one in Singapore soon.

Dragonfly (37) - Chalybeothemis Fluviatilis

Family : Libellulidae
Common Name : Green-eyed Percher
Status : Uncommon
Location : Lornie Trail

This is a small and thin uncommon dragonfly which is slightly smaller than that of the Diplacodes Trivialis.  As its common name suggests, both sexes have attractive green eyes.  The thorax of the male is metallic dark blue colour.  Accordingly to the Dragonflies of Singapore's Photographic Guide Book, the female is similar but with brown colour on the dorsum of thorax and the wing base tinted with brownish yellow.

(Male - Lornie Trail, 23 Aug 2010)

Similar to my 2 previous posts, this male was also sighted at the edges of Macritchie Reservior along Lornie Trail.  A skittish species which did not allow me to go fewer than 2 metres near.  I could only shoot from the walking path looking down into the reservior water where this dragonfly perched just slightly above.  Even with my 1.4TC attached to a 180mm macro lens, this image was heavily cropped.  I hope to get an improvement shot of the male soon and to meet the female too!

Revisited Lornie Trail during my morning off this morning (25 Aug 2010) and was rewarded with another 3 new collection of dragonflies and some improvement shots of exisitng species.

(Front view - Lornie Trail, 25 Aug 2010)

(Dorsal view - Lornie Trail, 25 Aug 2010)

I was excited to witness a mating pair but fortunately it lasted only for a minute or so and I was too slow to get a good shot at them. 

(Mating pair - Lornie Trail, 25 Aug 2010)

  

Dragonfly (34) - Aethriamanta Gracilis

Family : Libellulidae
Common Name : Pond Adjutant
Status : Uncommon
Location : Lornie Trail

Aethriamanta Gracilis is a small dragonfly which looks very identical to Brachydiplax Chalybea, except that it is smaller size and more open wing venation.  Similarly to B. Chalybea, males are more common than females.  There were about 8 to 10 nos. of male at some bushes along Lornie Trail and I think I spotted one female but I did not manage to capture it in pixel as it was flying without perching.  The males were quite skittish and therefore I could only manage some record shots.

(Male - Lornie Trail, 16 Aug 2010)

(Male - Lornie Trail, 16 Aug 2010)

(ID unknown - Lornie Trail, 25 Aug 2010)

The female is said to be "yellowish brown in colour with black marking".  Based on this description, the above image could be a female A. Gracilis which was spotted on 25 Aug 2010.

(Side view - Lornie Trail, 25 Aug 2010 )

Afternote : After Mr C.Y. Choong commented that it is unlikely to be a female A. Gracilis, I wrote to Mr Tang H. B. for a second opinion.  He is certain that it is not any of the Aethrianmanta species as the venation does not match.  He also rules out the possibility of Trithemis festiva, judging from the markings on the thorax.  As this dragonfly was about the same size of Aethrianmanta gracilis, he felt that, for this reason, it is less likely to be Indothemis limbata.  However, he would not rule out this possibility as he has not seen a female Indothemis limbata himself.  He added that if it is really a Indothemis limbata, then this image could be the first female photo of the species taken in Singapore!  I have uploaded a side view shot (see above).

On 6 Sep 2010, I spotted 2 mating pairs but only managed to get a record shot (see right image) as dragonfly usually mates for less than a minute!

Damselfly (25) - Pseudagrion Australasiae

Family : Coenagrionidae
Common Name : Look-alike Sprite
Status : Uncommon
Location : Lornie Trail

After collected more than 50% of the damselfly species in Singapore, it is getting very difficult to add new species to my collection.  So, I was pleasantly surprised to spot this uncommon P. Australasiae at Lornie Trail this morning.  It was drizzing at that time but that did not stop me from photographing it.

(Female - Lornie Trail, 16 Aug 2010)

The female of this species should be rarer than the male.  The male looks very similar to P. Microcephalum where both are light blue in colour.  P. Australasiae is slighter bigger in size than P. Microcephalum.  Accordingly to Mr C.Y. Choong, the blue colour of P. Microcephalum is brighter than P. Australasiae but the ultimate confirmation on these two species is very much relied on the structure of their tail (anal appendages). Pseudagrion Microcephalum has longer anal appendages compared to P. Australasiae.  I have photographed both the male and female of P. Microcephalum but I am not sure whether I have shot the male of P. Australasiae as I did not know how to differentiate these 2 species previously.

(Female closeup - Lornie Trail, 16 Aug 2010)

On 25 Aug 2010, I have finally captured a decent shot of the skittish male.  Yes, it is indeed longer than P. Microcephalum and a strong flyer.  Not an easy species to photograph.  My next target is to shoot them mating!

(Male - Lornie Trail, 25 Aug 2010)

Dragonfly (33) - Trithemis Pallidinervis (灰脈蜻蜓)

Family : Libellulidae

Common Name : Dancing Dropwing

Status : Uncommon

Location : Dairy Farm Nature Park, Lornie Trail

This is a medium sized yellowish brown dragonfly with relatviely long legs.  The male and female have similar marking. However, the face of male is metallic purple while the female is rather yellow white in colour.  It likes to perch in the open with its wings nicely folded up which make it easier to photograph.  It is a cooperative dragonfly and not difficult to get nice backgroung.  The challenges are the harsh sunlight and strong wind. 

(Female - Lornie Trail, 14 Aug 2010)

My first sighting of this elegant species was at Dairy Farm Nature Park a few months ago. I could not get any shot at that time as it was perching in the water, a distance from the board walk. I am glad to spot this species again this morning at Lornie Trail.  A little disappointed as I did not handle the harsh sunlight well.  I will definitely revisit Lornie Trail to get some improvement shots in the coming weeks.

(Female - Lornie Trail, 16 Aug 2010)

I revisited Lornie Trail 2 days later and I spotted about 4 to 5 nos. of this species perching near the edge of the reservior.  This lighting was better this time but it was as windy.  The green background in the above picture is the water, a lightly better shot, in my opinion.  I shall revisit this place soon :D

Dragonfly (30) - Macrogomphus Quadratus

Family : Gomphidae

Common Name : Forktail

Status : Uncommon

Location : Upper Peirce

This is an uncommon dragonfly spotted at Upper Peirce.  My personal experience with hugh forest species is that they are skittish and once they flew off, they disappear and never come back.  But this one was an exception.  It was quite comfortable with me so long as I maintained a safe distance of about one metre.  It would fly away only if I attempted to get closer.  But the lucky thing was that it would come back and perch somewhere nearby.  

(Upper Peirce - 5 Jun 2010)

As this was my first time seeing this species , I took as many shots as possible to make sure that I got it right. Being a large subject, the main problem was the difficulty of getting an acceptable background.  I chose to use a large aperture of f5.6 & f8 for most of my shots.

(Side view)

(Doing stretching exercise)

Dragonfly (29) - Orthetrum Glancum (黑尾灰蜻)

Family : Libellulidae

Common Name : Common Blue Skimmer

Status : Uncommon

Location : Rifle Range Nature Trail, Dairy Farm Nature Park

Orthetrum Glaucum is a medium size dragonfly species.  The males are blue in colour with a greyish at the tip of its abdomen.  The females are golden yellow in colour and they are less commonly found than the males.  They usually perch on messy bushes and sometimes on stones under the hot sunlight making it difficult to get nice shots.  So far I have sighted them at Dairy Farm Nature Park and Rifle Range Nature Trail.  Hope I can get an improvement shot soon.

(Rifle Range Nature Trail - 2010)

Dragonfly (27) - Pseudothemis Jorina

Family : Libellulidae

Common Name : Banded Skimmer

Status : Uncommon
Location : Upper Peirce, Eng Neo Ave

I have seen this uncommon black and white colour dragonfly at the forest edge of Upper Pierce. There were a few of them flewing non-stop without perching. I was surprised to see one perching quite far up at a small branch. Only managed a few lousy record shots.

(Upper Pierce - 19 Aug 2009)

I saw this dragonfly again at some bushes near Saddle Club (Eng Neo Ave) this morning. Unfortunately, the lighting was too harsh and it flew off before I could manage some improvement shots.

(Saddle Club, Eng Neo Ave - 5 May 2010)

Dragonfly (26) - Camacinia Gigantea

Family : Libellulidae
Common Name : Sultan
Status : Rare
Location : Bukit Timah Bicycle Trail, Chestnut Ave

My first sighting of this dragonfly species was at Bukit Timah Bicycle Trail.  I did not get any shots as it was flying non-stop.  I thought, at that time, that it was a huge Neurothemis as they share similar colour and pattern. The size of this species is almost double that of Neurothemis.  I spotted it again but this time at Chestnut Ave Bicycle Trail and managed some record shots.

(Male - Chestnut Ave, 23 Feb 2009)

Dragonfly (23) - Rhyothemis Triangularis

Family : Libellulidae
Common Name : Sapphire Flutterer
Status : Uncommon
Location : Chestnut Ave, Venus Drive, Eng Neo Ave

Rhyothemis Triangularis is an unmistakable species.  The male has distinct dark metallic blue colour on its wings. Female is similar to the male but the base of its wings are darker.  This uncommon male species was first sighted at Venus Drive but I gave it a miss as I had not started collecting Odonata at that time.  My 2nd sighting was at Chestnut Ave.   I only managed a few record shots before it flew away.

(Male - Chestnut Avenue, 2 Nov 2009)

My 3rd sighting was at Eng Neo Ave but unfortunately, I still did not get nice images of it. I have yet to meet the female. In my opinion, it is best to take from a dorsal view to show its beautiful wings. I shall do that next time.

(Male - Eng Neo Ave, 2010)

My 4th sighting of this species was at Jurong Woods II.  Unfortunately, it was too sensitive to me and I could not get close to it.  I was bitten by a water leeches while chasing for it!  My 5th meeting was at Lornie Trail on 25 Aug 2010 and this time I managed to set a reasonable dorsal view showing the beautiful wings of this dragonfly.

(Lornie Trail - 25 Aug 2010)

Dragonfly (22) - Rhyothemis Obsolescens

Family : Libellulidae
Common Name : Bronze Flutterer
Status : Uncommon
Location : Chestnut Ave, Rifle Range Nature Trail

This species can be easily identified by its bronze wings and dark marking. Both male and female are similar in appearance. They like to perch under direct sunlight. I have only seen this dragonfly in an open marshes near Chestnut Avenue. Unfortunately, before I could get a better shot of it, the place is now under redevelopment  for private residential purposes.

(Rifle Range Nature Trail - 22 Apr 2010)

My 2nd sighting of this species was at Rifle Range Nature Trail.  I am glad to capture some improvement shots of it.

(Rifle Range Nature Trail - 22 Apr 2010)

Dragonfly (19) - Diplacodes Nebulosa

Family : Libelluidae

Common name : Black-tipped Percher

Status : Uncommon

Location : Chestnut Ave

This is a small-sized dragonfly species and I have only seen it once at Chestnue Avenue. The male is dark blue in colour with small dark patch at the tip of its wings.  The female has light yellowish in colour, quite different from the male.

(Male - Chestnut Avenue, 1 Aug 09)

(Female - Chestnut Avenue, 1 Aug 2009)

(Male - Chestnut Ave, 1 Aug 2009)

Dragonfly (18) - Lathrecista Asiatica

Family : Libellulidae
Common Name : Scarlet Grenadier
Status : Uncommon
Location : Upper Seletar Reservior, Upper Peirce, Tagore Forest

This dragonfly is classified as a common forest species but I have seen the males only at Upper Seletar Reservior and Upper Peirce.  The female is less common as I have sighted once at Upper Peirce.  The thorax of both sexes are dark brown in colour with yellow stripes.  However the male species has a entire red abdomen while the female is brownish in colour.

(Male, Upper Pierce - 28 Jan 2010)

This males species looks quite similar to Agrionoptera Insignis.  One way to differentiate is that L. Asiatica has a narrower and straight-sided abdomen. 

(Side View Female - Upper Pierce, 12 July 2010)

(Front View Female - Upper Peirce, 12 July 2010)

I am happy to have captured an improvement shot of the male at Tagore Forest on 4 Sep 2010.

(Male - Tagore Forest, 4 Sep 2010)

Damselfly (24) - Prodasineura Collaris

Family : Protoneuridae

Common Name : Collared Threadtails

Status : Uncommon
Location : Upper Peirce

There are 4 Proidasineura species in Singapore namely Collaris, Humeralis, Interrupta & Notostigma). The blue marking on the head and thorax of Collaris and Notostigma look similar to me and I have difficulty identifying them. My guess is that this is a Collaris based on the white or blue marking on the tip of its tail. Again, I would appreciate it if someone could confirm it.

(Upper Peirce - 31 Dec 2009)

(Side view close-up - Upper Peirce, 31 Dec 2009)

Damselfly (18) - Prodasineura Humeralis

Family : Protoneuridae
Common Name : Orange-striped Threadtail
Status : Uncommon
Location : Chestnut Ave

Despite being a common species in Malaysia, this forest damselfly was recorded for the first time in Singapore at Chestnut area in Oct 2006. So I was glad to have spotted this uncommon  species at a stream along Chestnut Avenue Bicycle Trail on 4 Oct 2009. Not a difficult species to get close and it often returned to the same perch. But I observed that it preferred to perch very lowly just above the water surface of the fast moving stream making it tiring and difficult to get a good angle shot. The lighting was also not ideal as it usually chose a shaded perch. The colour of the male is generally dark brown from head to tail with some orange markings on its abdominal segment.

(Male - Chestnut Ave, 6 Oct 2009)

There were about 3 males in the steam when I revisited the place on 6 Oct 09. A female was spotted about 30 metres away from the stream. It has duller brown in colour with white marking on its abdomen. Initially, I thought it was a species that I had photographed before and as it was already quite late, I just took about 4 record shots and left. I regretted after I realised that it was a female of this species which reportedly is more uncommon than the males. I shall visit the place again to get an improvement shot.

(Female - Chestnut Ave, 6 Oct 2009)

Damselfly (12) - Devadatta Argyoides

Family : Amphipterygidae
Common Name : Malayan Grisette
Status : Uncommon
Location : Bukit Timah Bicycle Trail, Dairy Farm Nature Park

Male - Bukit Timah Bicycle Trail, 18 Feb 2009

This uncommon damselfly was first spotted on the same day as the Drepanosticta quadrata species less than 2 metres away. They seemed to be happy sharing the same territory although accasionally they bumped into one another and had a brief fight. Both will stay at a position for a long time and it was not a problem approaching them.  I read that, in Singapore, this species was spotted only at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve which is not true as 2nd sighting was at Dairy Farm Nature Park.  This species usually prefers to perch near clear forest streams.

Male - Bukit Timah Bicycle Trail, 16 Feb 2009

 Unlike other species, it has quite dull colour from head to tail making it difficult to spot in dimly lit streams. The males are greyish in colour while the females are more towards brown in colour.

Damselfly (11) - Drepanosticta Quadrata

Family : Platystictidae

Common name : Singapore Shadowdamsel
Status : Uncommon
Location : Bukit Timah Bicycle Trail, Upper Peirce

(Upper Peirce, 18 Nov 2009)

This is a uncommon damselfly that is generally found in primary forest near small streams. According to Singaporre references, this species is known only from Singapore. So I am happy to have spotted this local species perching lowly in a clear stream near Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. It was a narrow stream with lot of rocks it in making it difficult to set up my tripod. Fortunately, the water was shadow and clean and with reasonably good lighting, I managed to get some decent shots.  It is a cooperative species to photograph.  I spotted this species a few months later in Upper Peirce forest.

(Bukit Timah Bicycle Trail, 16 Feb 2009)