Hemicordulia tenera - an emerald at Da Lat

April 17 I caught a medium-sized emerald along the edge of Tuyen Lam Lake, at one of the swampy corners of the lake where a small stream runs into it and creates boggy conditions. It was ovipositing in a pool surrounded by grasses. It is always a happy occasion to bump into emeralds, no matter where you are in the world. They tend to be scarce. In Vietnam I have only seen Procordulia asahinai, but that was at Sa Pa. Da Lat is a different world, of course. It is of course possible that there are undescribed emeralds in Vietnam and I did my best the day after to find the male, but I could not. As far as patterning and the vulvar laminae are concerned there is no reason why this would not be the female of Hemicordulia tenera, a species that occurs for instance in nearby Thailand. Here are a few pictures.

Female Hemicordulia tenera. She has long legs, that is for sure.

Scan of the same female, showing the venation.