Finally Atrocalopteryx laosica

On June 24 I decided to check out the Cat Cat Touristic Area at Sa Pa as a last resort measure to find Atrocalopteryx laosica. The Sa Pa area is the only site for the species known from Vietnam and although I searched a lot in the area, I had yet failed to find it. But this day was a very dark and cloudy, rainy day to start with and I decided that the Cat Cat area might at least show some new habitat and who knows, a nice stream. This proved just right. At the bottom of the touristic area there is in fact a very nice broad stream bordered by a paved, but almost unused, trail. Following it the weather cleared just a bit and just when I was thinking it was not to be, I noticed a male A. laosica perched on plants along a small stream coming of the hills. It was also the only specimen I saw there, but one is enough. Clearly this is not only a limited distribution species, it is also a low density one.

Atrocalopteryx laosica was transfered to the genus Atrocalopteryx by Matti Hamalainen in 2014, from Calopteryx.

Atrocalopteryx laosica, male, at Sa Pa. Note the lighter bases and tips to the wings, plus the marginally darker sub apical band.

Another shot of the same, beautiful, specimen

And briefly held, to get a shot of the open wings.

Jewels of forest streams!

Xuan Son National Park is a great place for Calopterygids. October 26 was as good as expected, with many Matrona basilaris, Matrona taoi and Atrocaloperyx coomani. I decided to take pictures of the females. These are all similar in that they have large whitish pterostigmata, but when you know them they are not difficult to identify. Matrona taoi is decidedly reddish brown, which is especially conspicuous in flight. Matrona basilaris is brownish, but if it opens its wings these are dark brown with milky bases, in a pattern similar to the male. Atrocalopteryx coomani has hyaline wing bases.

Female Matrona taoi, with its typical reddish brown wings

Matrona basilaris female with brown wings

And female Atrocalopteryx coomani, showing translucent wings

Huu Lien - still a treasure trove*

*Updated after publication of Paracercion ambiguum

On October 19 I was all day at Huu Lien and as we know I ran into beautiful Coeliccia galbina. Thus it was a memorable day. Most other goodies were there too. On the gomphid front Labrogomhus torvus was still flying. Not surprising, as we saw it into December last year. Ceriagrion nipponicum, Vestalaria miao, Atrocalopteryx atrocyana and A. auco (the newly described endemic), Paracercion ambiguum, Prodasineura croconota, Gynacantha japonica and many more. Here are a few additional photos.

Price for rarity is likely deserved by Atrocalopteryx auco. Although its brother A. atrocyana is common all over Huu Lien, I saw only a single male of this species.

But what I did not expect was a great many Prodasineura croconota still flying. Last year I had not seen them and only discovered them in spring this year. But apparently I just overlooked them last autumn. Quite a few tandems were active. This is of course a female.

And this a tandem, with the exquisite male easily identified

Just like last year, Gynacantha japonica was active at dusk, hawking over the paddies. Until now I have not found this species anywhere else. This is a male.

These are the distinctive appendages in ventral view, about 4 times the length of the epiproct

Recognizable by the almost absent lower appendages and the brown crescent along the wing tips: male Vestalaria miao.

And there he is! The Paracercion ambiguum. As usual common along the stream from the reservoir.

A few interesting Calopterygids from Bac Kan and Cao Bang Provinces

I know this stream along the TL257 in Bac Kan, at Km 58, that has some really interesting Gomphids in spring. So on August 30 I paid it a visit. And not in vain. The price of the day went to Matrona taoi, a rare endemic Matrona species, recently described from Xuan Son and apparently also known from Quang Binh Province in Central Vietnam. It may be more widespread. The stream I visited is not special, running along a clearing with cultivated fields and degraded forest on one side. It is not particularly wide either, 2 meters or less in most places. But along the stretch of about 400m I counted 4 males of this wonderful species. A few Matrona basilaris were also present, and many Vestalis gracilis.

The next day along the TL212 in Cao Bang I visited a small stream by the road side in a pocket of rice fields and houses. This stream also seems like nothing special, but it had 4-5 males of Atrocalopteryx coomani. This is a relatively widespread, but definitely scarce species. In Pia Oac I found another Matrona basilaris. Clearly the advent of autumn is bringing other species!

Male Matrona taoi, a beautiful and rare damsel

Showing the wing pattern, with lighter outer thirds

Scan of male Atrocalopteryx coomani, with also a very interesting wing pattern

Which is not visible in the perched insect, apart from the short moments it will flash its wings

Rainy day in Huu Lien

Saturday July 24 I ventured to Huu Lien. Like Sebastien's visit last week in Xuan Son, to turned into a major wash out. After a good start in the forest or what is left of it, thunder sounded and the heavens opened. I found large parts of the reserve inundated anyway, presumably the result of the typhoon passing last week. As usual, a visit to Huu Lien gave mixed emotions. There is a lot to see, but on the way there I was met by dozens of motorbikes carrying logs and passing unnoticed by the entry gate. Clearly these are not people from inside the reserve using the forest. And the trail to the waterfall, described by Cuong as in largely pristine forest, is now open in several parts, where trees have been cut and right there turned into coal in shallow pits. It is really sad. Several people where busy producing coal while I was there and of course this continues day after day. Somehow nobody does anything about it.

Nevertheless the forest was full of Atrocalopteryx atrocyana, a fabulous damsel. I had not seen it yet this year, but now there were a great many fluttering about. Not easy to get good pictures, as they are both shy and because there is a need for flash in the dark surroundings where they were lurking. As distance varies, so does the lighting.

Female Atrocalopteryx atrocyana. If the forest disappears near the stream, it will be a severe blow for this species.

Male of the same species. The flash brings out the beautiful blue wings. Note also the long spikes on all legs.

Another male

Another great find was a male Rhinocypha of the drusilla group. It is different in detail from the species inhabiting Xuan Son. Last year I saw only a few and could only take pictures of one. This is the first for this year. In Xuan Son I have not seen its sibling species yet.

Note the extensive pattern of red on S9-10, but also extensive red on the remainder of the abdomen, but restricted to the dorsum of S2.

Another speciality that was present in good numbers is the small Coeliccia that also occurs in Cuc Phuong. I hope it description and name will be published soon.

Coeliccia sp, the female

And the male. A pretty species for sure, a lot smaller than most.

And lastly, I ran into a bundle of ovipositing Prodasineura croconota. Interesting I hope are the shots of the female.

Hovering in the dark, not easy, hence not in focus

The female of Prodasineura croconota

And the male, better known

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?

Huu Lien, another Holy Grail, meet Atrocalopteryx

Last weekend, November 16 and 17, we went to Huu Lien National Park, after the recent adventures of Sebastien there. It seemed like a good idea at the time and in fact it was! Two days, most of it brilliant sunny autumn weather and 48 species at the end of it. Could not locate a nice stream in the forest, so no Coeliccia, but otherwise it was a big success. Who would have thought, over a month ago we were already telling each other how sad it was, the season over already, but in fact, there is no end to the goodies in places like Huu Lien and Xuan Son.

Like in Xuan Son, the stream inhabiting Calopterids steal the show. We saw Vestalis gracilis, many Vestalaria miao, Neurobasis chinensis, Euphaea masoni, and the best, the two species of Atrocalopteryx.

Although both species could be found along the same streams, there were some striking differences. A. atrocyana was extremely approachable, allowing easy close-up shots and capture for admiring it by hand. On release it would alight on a twig nearby as if nothing happened. We saw only one female and most males under dense cover. On the other hand, the species novum in the area behaved rather differently. Males were often seen in the open, and several females were observed, but all were hard to approach, often flying away when we were still at 4-5 meters distance. Where atrocyana was most abundant they were absent (stream under full cover).

Here are some impressions of both species, brownish species novum and blueish atrocyana. Females were brown, with species novum displaying brilliantly white pseudo-pterostigmata.

Atrocalopteryx atrocyana male, with all green face

Atrocalopteryx atrocyana, female

The same female, displaying all brownish wings

The brilliant Atrocalopteryx atrocyana male, with stunning blue wings in display

The same male, note the hole in the wing. The wings are very broad.

The Atrocalopteryx auco* male, note the white flecks on the face.
* Matti Hamalainen just published this species (2014)

Slightly different exposure showing the color more vividly.

The female Atrocalopteryx auco, note the white pseudo-stigmata

Another male

Tidying up the last bits of Xuan Son

Just before the weekend starts with new adventures time to tidy up the remainder of records from Xuan Son. I will start with another new species for me, Vestalaria miao. And to be honest, I cannot be a 100% sure of the ID. Noguchiphaea yoshikoae occurs also in the area, but has characteristic horns on the prothorax, not present in Vestelaria. And Vestalaria miao was recorded right there in Xuan Son, but who knows, maybe another species is present too. So the search for more evidence continues. Here she is:

Vestalaria miao, female, with slightly tinted wings

The same female in hand, note the absence of horns on the posterior lobe of the prothorax

For comparison female Noguchiphaea yoshikoae of Tam Dao in September, very similar although wings slightly different in shape and clear, eyes of different color

Note the horns on the posterior lobe of the prothorax

The second species to publish here is Cratilla lineata, of which I encountered a female in the rain. Cool as addition to the earlier male. She is very similar in markings, but of course with a differently shaped abdomen.

Cratilla lineata, female

What else was worth to mention? How about a teneral male Pseudagrion pruinosum? Here he is, as a possible stumbling block for the unwary.

Pseudagrion pruinosum, immature male. The appendages are a give-away. The neck looks rather bull-like, due to a rain drop that has lodged itself there.

Close-up of the neck and the rain drop. Soon after it would remove it by brushing.

The last to enter for today was an array of Calopteryds. The first is Calopteryx coomani, a species I have seen regualrly at Tam Dao National Park and that also frequents Xuan Son. Especially the female is superficially similar to the female of Matrona basilaris, but that species has, just like the male, a milky shine to the bases of the wings due to the fine maze of veins there, absent in C. coomani. Both are large species, but C. coomani is even more robust.

Atrocalopteryx coomani, male, with blueish shine to abdomen and visibly here translucent areas in the wings.

Male showing the largely translucent front wings and bases to the hind wings.

Atrocalopteryx coomani, female

Matrona basilaris was already introduced in an another entry, but not the female. Compare here to the female of Atrocalopteryx coomani, to which it is rather similar when perched and the milky bases to the wings are not visible. The color of the wings is more greenish and the wings are more slender.

Matrona basilaris, female. I saved this one from the water, where it had become entangled in cobwebs when ovipositing. It did not linger when I released it and perched far away, which explains the grainy picture.

Matrona basilaris, male, for completeness sake

And finally, because it is such a special species, another Matrona taoi male. I find this species much more like A. coomani than like M. basilaris, when it comes to size and shape of the wings.

Matrona taoi, male