December 8, Xuan Son in the winter sun

This Sunday, I drove to Xuan Son, to see what has changed since I last visited. Like in Huu Lien, water level had dropped, but the good streams were still good. Here too about 30 species for the day, but numbers for most were down. Coeliccia sasamotoi was the exception, being very much in evidence all over the place. What is interesting is that several species recorded for Huu Lien in summer, but completely absent during all our visits this November / December were still commonly flying at Xuan Son. Aristocypha fenestrella and Matrona basilaris were easily found. Also Euphaea masoni, only seen during our first visit to Huu Lien a month ago and not since, was still about in small numbers. What makes them stay on here?

I bumped into the following species: Matrona basilaris, M. taoi, Vestalis gracilis, Neurobasis chinensis, Atrocalopteryx coomani, Vestalaria miao, Noguchiphaea yoshikoae, Heliocypha perforata, Aristocypha fenestrella, R. "arguta" (I took pictures of several in hand, with hardly any orange on S9-10 to quite a bit), Euphaea masoni, Agriocnemis femina, Ceriagrion auranticum, C. fallax, Pseudagrion pruinosum, Coeliccia onoi, C. scutellum, C. sasamotoi, Indocnemis orang, Copera marginipes, C. vittata (I must have overlooked it before), Boyeria karubei, Orthetrum sabina, O. pruinosum, O. glaucum, Diplacodes trivialis, Neurothemis fulvia, Palpopleura sexmaculata, Crocothemis servilia, Trithemis festiva, T. aurora.

Old male Euphaea masoni

Another male with hole in wing

Matrona basilaris, male, was still common

Matrona basilaris, female

Atrocalopteryx coomani, male

Matrona taoi, male, only one and damaged male around

Pretty Coeliccia sasamotoi, male

Ceriagrion fallax, male

One of several captured Rhinocypha cf. arguta, with at least some orange on S9-10.

Very nice male Copera vittata, overlooked previously?