Camacinia gigantea - finally!

Sebastien recorded Camacinia gigantea in a park in Hanoi in mid-April several years back, proving that the species occurs at least as a vagrant in northern Vietnam. It has also been recorded from the south, for instance from Cat Tien by Cuong. As this is one of the largest libellulids in the world and good looking too, I was eager to see it and kept my eyes open for it over 2 long years. When I could not find it in the north, I assumed it would be easier in the south, but during my visits to Cat Tien I could not find it there either. And likewise I never saw it in the Mekong Delta, although it reputedly occurs close to the sea and in mangrove areas. Clearly it is not common in Vietnam and at least in the north must be rare. It is after all a rather large and conspicuous species.

Today I visited Xuan Son National Park with the objective of finding Planaeschna species. Maybe as the result of the three weeks of cold and rain there were not that many dragonflies around and several species normally common were completely absent. But when I checked the little round shallow pond area that generally produces Orolestes selysi and Gynacantha species I got a thrill when I noticed two large red dragonflies fluttering over the now brim full pond. Two males of Camacinia gigantea! Somehow floating in the air at high altitude they must have noticed the shallow vegetated pond where for sure they normally do not occur. One male disappeared, but the other perched on twigs and emergents all day. That is, when it was not patrolling the pond in large circles, with bouts of rapid wing beats interspersed with short gliding moments. Its flight pattern not so different from that of Camacinia harterti, although that species stays inside the forest.

This species was a dream come true for me. There are several species that Sebastien recorded and that I have not seen yet, but this one especially has been bothering me.

First shot of the two males flying together. Actually they did not really seem to chase each other. In fact they seemed to ignore each other most of the time, even when both were patrolling

This one male Camacinia gigantea perched in the afternoon in the shade on emergent vegetation. Few leaves could support its weight when it grasped them, so it had a few preferred spots.

It is a magnificent species. The large hole in the right hind wing indicates it has travelled (I presume) 

The venation is magnificent. I did not try to count the number of cells in the anal loop, but there are many. The detail is mind-boggling.

Camacinia harterti, verified

On May 31, last year, I walked through the forest in Xuan Son National Park when a large red-and-brown dragonfly flew past with some burned caramel wing bases. I was certain it was the possibly ultra-rare Camacinia harterti, but no photo and indeed just a few seconds, if that, of observation time. Not nearly enough to claim such a mega species. And no matter how I searched, I could not find it again. That is, until today, almost a year later. I walked yet another trail in the forest and passing through a clearing formed by tree fall, I noticed a large dragonfly perched on the tip of a branch. No doubt about it, Camacinia harterti! From its perch it made wide-ranging patrol flights, catching small prey, and returning after 10-15 seconds to its perch, after having swooped around the whole clearing. After a while it changed perches, picking again an exposed dry strong stick, almost vertical, on which to sit. It was quite at ease. I could even touch its wings without it taking offense.
It may well be that this forest species is overlooked. Do Manh Cuong recorded a male in Tam Dao. That record was also in April, on April 14, 2009. This may not be a coincidence. Possibly it is an early species.

Camacinia harterti, male, quite unmistakable

Quite interesting how the yellow of the wings is matched by the more orange S1-3

Not at all deterred by the spikiness of the substrate