Damselfly (21) - Mortonagrion Arthuri

Family : Coenagrionidae
Common Name : Arthur's Midget
Status : Rare
Location : Pulau Ubin

This damselfly species was first spotted on 11 Sep 2009 during a macro outing at Pulau Ubin.  There were about 4 males and a female perching near the edge of the mangrove swamp.  I only managed some record shots of them as I did not stay long due to too many mosquitoes attacking me.

(Male - Pulau Ubin, 26 Oct 2009)

When I sent the images to Mr Tang Bun Hung for idenitification, he said that he has only seen this species in mangrove areas in Singapore. As for male Mortonagrion arthuri, he has only seen a specimen soaked in alcohol, collected in traps by Dr Patrick Grootaert in Singapore earlier this year.  Although he was confident with his initial indentification, upon his request, I bought him to Pulau Ubin on 26 Oct 09 to further study this species.  His identification is correct.

(Female - Pulau Ubin, 26 Oct 2009)

(Female close-up - Pulau Ubin, 26 Oct 2009)

Dragonfly (16) - Pantala Flavescens

Family : Libellulidae
Common name : Globe Skimmer (or Wandering Glider)
Status : Common
Location : Wild Wild West, Hort Park

(Wild Wild West, 10 Oct 2009)

Damselfly (20) - Archibasis Melanocyana

Family : Coenagrionidae
Common name : Blue-nosed Sprite
Status : Rare
Location : Chestnut Ave

I went to Chestnut Ave to search for the unique Lestes Praemorsus Decipiens on 1 Aug 2009.  I did not find it but I saw this rare species instead.  I did not know that it was rare at that time and I did not make an effort to get some good shots.  Sadly, this place is destroyed and is under redevelopment for a condomium.

(Chestnut Ave, 1 Aug 2009)

(Chestnut Ave, 1 Aug 2009)

Dragonfly (15) - Unidentified dragonfly

This cooperative dragonfly was spotted at Pulau Ubin. It perched on a twig about 20 metres from a seashore directly under the hot sun. This was my first time seeing this species. I searched the internet for its ID but couldn't manage to find. I had to email to Mr Tang Hung Bun to request his assistance. His initial indentification is that it is probably an aged female Pornothemis starrei. After consulting his friend, they are of the opinion that it could be a new discovery.

(Pulau Ubin - 12 Sep 2009)

On 26 Oct 09, I brought Mr Tang Hung Bun & 2 officers from National Parks to Pulau Ubin to search for this dragonfly as they need more inforation in order to confirm the ID.  Unfortunately, we could not find it at the location where I found this species previously.

(Side view)

(Dorsal View)

Damselfly (19) - Lestes praemorsus (隱紋絲蟌)

Family : Lestidae
Common name : Scalloped Spreadwing
Status : Uncommon
Location : Lornie Trail, Dairy Farm Nature Park, Chestnut Ave

Lestes Praemorsus is an uncommon species, first recorded in Singapore in 1997. It is known to be occured only in Macrichite Reservior. It is a medium-sized species which rests with its wings half-open. It has a unique hockey stick-shaped rather than straight obdomen.

(Chestnut Ave - 2 Nov 2009)

I went to Macrichite Reservior to search for this beautiful damselfly on 2 occasions but could not locate it. When Dairy Farm Nature Reserve Park was officially opened on 5 Sep 09, a picture of this mating damselfly was featured the next day in the Sunday Times. I went to Dairy Farm to try my luck and I was glad to have spotted a female perching just above the water at the Quarry. I could only take a record shot of it from a distance as we are not allowed to go down to the water. I hope it could perch in a better place during my next visit so that I could take an improvement shot.

(Lornie Trail - 14 Aug 2010)

I read that this species has since been found in several other places such as Pulau Tekong Reservior, Upper Seletar Reservior, etc. My friend, Eddy Lee, had recently photographed one at Chestnut Avenue.  He told me the exact location where he found this species and I am happy to get a slightly improvement shot of it.

I saw this species photographed by a new found friend, Federick Ho, at Lornie Trail.  He directed me on where to find this species.  I went there on 14 Aug 2010 and there were about 8 nos. perching lowly along the edges of Macrichite Reservior.  Got some shots but still plenty of rooms for improvement.

On 6 Sep 2010, I was happy to spot a mating pair where the female was laying its eggs into the water.

 

Dragonfly (14) - Rhyothemis Phyllis

Family : Libellulidae
Common name : Yellow-Barred Flutterer
Status : Common
Location : Holland Woods, Chinese Gardens, Jurong Woods II, Kranji Nature Trail, Chestnut Ave, Lornie Trail

This is a common dragonfly species and is easily recognisable by it back and yellow markings on its wings. A beautiful dragonfly that prefers to perch on very thin leaves or stems making it quite difficult to photograph as a slight breeze would cause the perch to swing resulting in motion blur.

(Holland Woods - 22 Aug 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)

Newly Emerged Damselfly - ID unknown!

Damselflies lay their eggs in the water. The eggs hatch within a few days and the larvae grow quickly. The larva (about 2cm long) live in water and can molt up to 15 times during its growth. When the larva is fully developed, it moves to exposed rocks or plants where it prepares for the final stage of molting. The emergence may take about one hour. The picture below shows a newly emerged damselfly (ID unknown) from the last molting. It was taken at the same place when I photographed my previous 2 species of damselflies. Its body was soft and the body colour was not normal yet. It was weak and could not fly properly. It usually takes a day or two for its skin and wings to harden.

(Bukit Timah Cycling Trail - 30 May 2009)

Damselfly (17) - Teinobasis Ruficollis

Family : Coenagrionidae
Common name : Red-tailed Sprite
Status : Rare
Location : Bukit Timah Bicycle Trail, Venus Drive

This rare forest species was spotted on the same day as the Slender Midget (see previous post) around the same area. As I was focusing on the Slender Midget, I managed only a record shot of it. I went back to the same place again 4 days later hoping to get some improvement shots. My wish came true!  It was spotted it again a few months later but this time at Venus Drive.

(Bukit Timah Cycling Trail - 4 Jun 2009)

(Bukit Timah Cycling Trail - 4 Jun 2009)

Damselfly (16) - Amphicnemis gracilis

Family : Coenagrionidae
Common name : Will-o-wisp
Status : Uncommon
Location : Bukit Timah Bicycle Trail, Upper Peirce, Upper Seletar Reservior

This is a swamp forest species and a new record for Singapore in 1997. It has very slim but long tail.

(Very Young Female, Orange Form - Bukit Timah Bicycle Trail, 30 May 09)

The above image should be a very young female with strong orange thorax, yellow eyes & wings. When it gets a little older, it would change into bright red colours (see below). Eye colours would change too.

(Inmature Female, Red Form - Upper Pierce, 14 Nov 09)

When it is fully matured, it would change again into green-olive colour (see below). The males are less attractive with a dark metallic green thorax and it is less common than the female. I have yet to see one (see picture here).

(Matured Female, Olive-Green Form - Bukit Timah Bicycle Trail)

(Matured female closed up)

(Very young female, close-up)

Dragonfly (13) - Ictinogomphus Decoratus Melaenops

Family : Gomphidae
Common Name : Common Flangetail
Status : Common
Location : West Coast Park, Venus Drive, Lornie Trail, Rifle Range Nature Trail, Singapore Botanical Gardens

(Venus Drive, 25 Feb 2009)

This is one of the biggest dragonflies (about 12 cm long) that I have seen in Singapore, easily 4 times the size of Asian Pintail (see previous post). It is classified as a very common species but I would consider it relatively common as I have spotted them only 4 or 5 times so far.  I first spotted it at West Coast Park and recently at a slow-moving open stream in Venus Drive. It has a aggresive look maybe due to its huge size and certainly not an easy species to get close. The nearest distance that I was able to shoot was more than a metre away but fortunately, it often returned to the same twig where it perched.

On 13 Sep 2010, I finally got an improvement shot of this giant dragonfly.

(Singapore Botanical Gardens - 13 Sep 2010)

Dragonfly (12) - Acisoma Panorpoides (錐腹蜻蜓)

Family : Libellulidae
Common name : Asian Pintail
Status : Common

This is a relatively small species commonly found in shrub-dominated streams, canals, drains, ponds, etc. The female is greenish grey in colour while the male has black & white body with attractive blue eyes. I have seen them in the grass patches near Holland Woods and a steam near Segar Road sometime in Mid June 08. On both occasions, I had difficulty getting near to them and did not manage to get good shots. It was almost a year later on 9 May 09 when I revisited Holland Woods, did I manage to get some improvement shots of the male. It was at 7.30 am and this male was probably fast asleep allowing me to go very near to capture some close-up shots as well.

(Male - Holland Woods, 9 May 2009)

(Female - Holland Woods, 30 Mar 2010)

In Mar 2010, I was lucky again to find a sleeping female at Holland Woods.  It was pretty early in the morning and there were some dews on its body giving it a refleshing look. 

(Holland Woods - 20 Mar 2010)

Damselfly (15) - Copera marginipes [黃狹扇蟌]

Family : Platycnemidae
Common name : Yellow Featherlegs
Status : Common
Location : Chestnut Ave, Segar Road, Venus Drive, Jurong Woods II

This is classified as a common species but not many of us have seen or phogographed it in Singapore. The male has beautiful yellowish thorax, a black obdomen with white marking on it.

(Male - Chestnut Avel, 4 Aug 2009)

The male was first spotted at a stream near Venus Drive but I did not manage to get any shot as it was difficult to approach. Two males were seen perching in a drain near Segar Road few week later. I managed to get some record shots but was still unable to get closer to it. I finally captured a better shot when I found the male again at a stream along Chestnut Avenue Bicycle Trail. This time, the female which has an overall black thorax and obdomen was also found nearby.

(Female - Chestnut Avenue, 4 Aug 2009)

When I revisited the place again 2 day later, a juvenile was found. It has a unique overall white in colour.

(Juvenile - Chestnut Ave, 6 Aug 2009)

(Mating - Chestnut Ave, 26 Aug 2009)

My recent sighting of this species where the juvenile, male, female as well as 2 mating pairs were spotted at a small muddy stream at Jurong Woods II on 21 Aug 2010.

Dragonfly (11) - Orthetrum luzonicum [呂宋蜻蜓]
Family : Libellulidae
Common name : Luzon Skimmer


(Male, Segar Road - 3 Jan 09)


Female (Venus Drive, 19 Apr 08)

A common species which are usually found in exposed marshes, around ponds and open streams. Females are yellowish in colour while males have overall blue in colour including its eyes. Both are relatively easy to approach and photographed.


(Mating - Venus Drive, 6 Jan 09)

Note: The close-up shot of Diplacodes trivialis was removed on 25 Feb 10 as it was wrongly posted here.

Dragonfly (10) - Agrionoptera Insignis

Family : Libellulidae
Common name : Grenadier
Status : Common

This is classified as an uncommon species but I have seen them on many occasions such as Venus Drive, West Coast Park, Rifle Rifle Range Nature Trail, Jurong Woods, Jurong Woods II, Wild Wild West, etc. Generally,k, they are usually found in sluggish streams & shady drains.  Quite a common species in my opinion. 

(Male - Venus Drive, 25 Feb 2009)

The male has a a prominent red obdomen while the female is thicker and duller in colour.  A very cooperative species which usually perches around the same spot for a prolonged period.

(Female - Venus Drive, 15 Jan 2009)

(Male closeup - West Coast Park, 31 Jan 2009)

Damselfly (14) - Ischnura Senegalensis [青紋細蟌]

Family : Coenagrionidae
Common Name : Common Bluetail
Status : Very Common
Location : Holland Woods, Kranji Nature Trail, Wild Wild West, etc.

(Mating with bright orange female - Holland Woods, 3 Mar 2008)

This is the 2nd most common damselfly species in Singapore. Similar to Bi-coloured damselfly, they are usually found around ponds, drains, lakes, canals, etc. The male is greenish blue in colour but the female occurs in several colour forms, including one with overall bright orange, another with dull olive colour and also one similar like the male.

(Mating with dull olive female - Holland Woods, 25 Jan 2010)

(Mating with a female that has similar colour of the male - Holland Woods, 7 Feb 2010)

Damselfly (13) - Ceriagrion Cerinorubellum [彩虹細蟌]

Family : Coenagrionidae
Common Name : Ornate Coraltail or Bi-coloured Damsel
Status : Very Common
Location : Singapore Botanical Gardens, Holland Woods, Wild Wild West, Jurong Woods, Kranji Nature Trail, etc.

(Venus Drive, 16 Sep 2009)

This beautiful damselfly is the most common species in Singapore. They can be easily found in many of our parks particularly around ponds, drains, canal, open streams, etc. They could also be found in our forested areas. 

(Singapore Botanical Gardens, 29 Oct 2008)

They are relatively big in size and I have seen them, on a few occasions, attacking and feeding on other species of smaller damselflies. Both sexes have similar appearance except that the female has slightly darker marking.

Being common and having a colourful body, they are also the most photographed species. They are quite approachable and get a close-up shot is fairly easy.

Dragonfly (9) - Tyriobapta torrida

Family : Libellulidae
Common Name : Treehugger
Status : Common
Location : Venus Drive

Female - Venus Drive, 29 Dec 2008

This tree-hugging dragonfly is a common forest species. Both sexes likes to hug tree trunks especially the female. The males can be found perching in dark shady streams as well. The female is light brown in colour with nice pattern on its obdomen while the male has quite a difference appearance. It is dark blue in colour with large black patch at the base of both wings. When they are perching on tree trunks, it is quite easy to photograph as they always come back to the same spot. And with the tree trunks, one would not need to worry too much of the winds.

Male - Venus Drive, 29 Dec 2008)

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)