An updated list for my three visits to Phu Quoc in 2015 and 2016

During my stay in Vietnam I was able to visit Phu Quoc island, located off the coast of Cambodia to the west of the Vietnamese Mekong delta, several times. It has a very interesting Odonate fauna compared to the rest of Vietnam, with several rare species, not seen elsewhere in Vietnam. I visited the island from 28 December 2015 to 2 January 2016, again from April 12 and April 15, 2016 and finally from August 19 to 21, 2016. Some species are very local and also occur only in the dry or in the rainy season, so not everything can be seen in any one trip. I already published a list after my first trip. This list is updated here to include all records, to which I added the months in which species were recorded by me in Roman capitals. But first a few photos of good species not published here previously.

Neurothemis intermedia male, 19 August 2016 

A second Neurothemis intermedia male from August 19, 2016

A target species I had been looking for on all my trips, which had been recorded by Bui (2008). Apparently this rare species is a summer species on the island. I only saw a single female, Lyriothemis mortoni.

The fascinating Platylestes platystylus, also on the island of Phu Quoc., August 20, 2016

Immature male of Brachydiplax sobrina, August 20 

And nearby an immature female, much harder to find generally

Monstrous Epophthalmia vittigera, a wonderful male, caught on August 21, 2016

A lovely Ceriagrion calamineum, previously recorded from the island, but misidentified as C. aurantiacum in Bui (2008). Finally found on 21 August 2016.

Agrionoptera insignis male over a dark pool, August 19, 2016. The only specimen I saw on my three visits.

The List:

Lestes praemorsus* VIII

Platylestes platystylus* VIII

Vestalis gracilis I, IV, VIII, XII

Libellago hyalina I, IV, VIII, XII

Heliocypha biforata I, IV, VIII, XII

Euphaea cyanopogon**** I, IV, VIII, XII

Rhinagrion viridatum XII, VIII

Podolestes coomansi***** IV

Aciagrion borneense I, XII

Agriocnemis minima* IV, VIII, XII

A. nana* IV, VIII, XII

A. pygmaea I, VIII, XII

Amphicnemis valentini**** VIII

Archibasis viola I, IV, VIII, XII

Ceriagrion calamineum** VIII

C. cerinorubellum IV, VIII, XII

C. malaisei* VIII

C. olivaceum* I, IV, XII

Ischnura senegalensis I, IV, XII

Mortonagrion falcatum*** I

Onychargia atrocyana IV, VIII

Paracercion calamorum* IV, VIII

Pseudagrion australasiae* IV, VIII, XII

P. microcephalum I, IV, XII

P. rubriceps IV, XII

P. pruinosum I

P. williamsoni I, IV, VIII, XII

Coeliccia kazukoae** I, IV

Coeliccia yamasakii IV

Pseudocopera ciliata* IV, VIII, XII

Copera vittata** I, IV, VIII, XII

Prodasineura verticalis** I, IV, VIII, XII

Anax guttatus I, VIII, XII

Gynacantha basiguttata* I, VIII

G. bayadera* I

G. subinterrupta* I

Heliaeschna crassa*** IV

Ictinigomphus decoratus meleanops I, IV, VIII

Paragomphus capricornis* XII

Epophthalmia frontalis* I

E. vittigera* VIII

Acisoma panorpoides IV, VIII, XII

Agrionoptera insignis* VIII

Brachydiplax chalybea* IV, VIII, XII

B. sobrina* IV, VIII

Brachygonia oculata IV, VIII

Brachythemis contaminata I, VIII, XII

Cratilla lineata IV

Crocothemis servilia I

Diplacodes nebulosa I, IV, VIII, XII

D. trivialis I, IV, XII

Hydrobasileus croceus I, VIII

Indothemis limbata*** I, VIII

Lathrecista asiatica I, IV, VIII

Lyriothemis mortoni VIII

Nannophya pygmaea IV, VIII, XII

Neurothemis fluctuans I, IV, VIII, XII

N. tullia IV, XII

N. fulvia IV, VIII, XII

N. intermedia* IV, VIII, XII

Orchithemis pulcherrima IV, VIII

Orthetrum sabina I, IV, VIII, XII

O. pruinosum* XII

O. chrysis I, IV, VIII, XII

Pantala flavescens I, VIII, XII

Potamarcha congener I, IV, VIII, XII

Pseudothemis jorina** I

Rhodothemis rufa* IV, VIII, XII

Rhyothemis aterrima* IV

R. obsolescens IV, VIII

R. phyllis I, IV, VIII, XII

R. variegata I, IV, XII

R. triangularis IV, VIII

Tetrathemis irregularis IV, XII

Tholymis tillarga I, IV, VIII, XII

Tramea transmarina euryale* I, VIII, XII

Trithemis festiva IV, XII

T. aurora I, IV, VIII, XII

T. pallidinervis I, IV, VIII

Urothemis signata I, IV, VIII

Zygonyx iris I, VIII

Zyxomma petiolatum* IV, VIII, XII

*       Refers to species first recorded on the island, although some are very common

**     Coeliccia kazukoae had already been found by Floris Brekelmans, but is not rare. Prodasineura verticalis had been recorded as Prodasineura sp. Copera vittata had been misidentified previously (as C. marginipes), but is a very common species. Pseudothemis jorina had been recorded but misidentified (presumably) as P. zonata. Ceriagrion calamineum had been misidentified as C. aurantiacum.

***   Refers to species recorded for the first time for Vietnam (as far as I know)

****  Refers to a species novum, but misidentified in previous surveys.

*****Recorded by Flores Brekelmans, not by me, but published on this blog

Lyriothemis kameliyae published in Zootaxa

Yesterday Lyriothemis kameliyae was published in Zootaxa. This is not at all a difficult species to recognize once you realize that it is actually different from L. bivittata. Problem is that all Lyriothemis species flying around in southeast Asia with a double yellow lateral marking on the otherwise brown thorax and with a red abdomen, plus dark streaks at the wing bases, had been lumped together under L. bivittata. In fact, there are at least several species involved. L. kameliyae occurs together with L. bivittata in northern Vietnam. Xin Yu already wrote to me he had collected L. kameliyae in China. Undoubtedly it is quite widespread. As beautiful as it is, it remained anonymous, until now!

Male L. bivittata (top) and male L. kameliyae (bottom). Spot the differences!

Lyriothemis pallidistigma - a beautiful dragonfly new for Vietnam*

*Adjusted after publication in Zootaxa of Lyriothemis pallidistigma Kompier, Holden & Makbun, 2021

Lyriothemis is a genus of beautiful flat-bellied dragonflies with 17 species, represented in Vietnam by several species, the distinctive L. bivittata and L. kameliyae, two forest species that breed in tree holes and the like, and the rare L. mortoni, known from Phu Quoc. Many species inhabit marshland. And fourth species had been found at Cat Tien National Park and identified as L. elegantissima. Subsequently, it became clear it in fact differs in structure and also a little in pattern. It has now been published as L. pallidistigma. 

In Cat Tien National Park it inhabits grassy inundated clearings in forested surroundings, where I saw at least 6 males and females in active display. Sadly my cameras were both wet and my lenses fogged up, so I could not take proper pictures in the field. The abdomen is differently patterned and the hamule differently shaped. James Holden had already found this species during the weeks preceding my visit to Cat Tien and I only relocated it on the last day of my visit, but it was worth the search! Males and females would perch in pairs or would dance around each other in the air in hover flight.

The discovery of such a striking species of Libellulid in Vietnam is pretty amazing. Subsequently it was also found in Thailand. It is similar in appearance to L. elegantissima, which occurs in the extreme north of Vietnam and northward has been recorded from Japanese islands close to Taiwan, like Ishigakijima, from Taiwan itself and from mainland Chinese provinces like Guangdong and Guangxi, but also from Thailand and Cambodia. 

Lyriothemis pallidistigma, male (right) and female (left)

Lyriothemis pallidistigma, male

Even foggier, Lyriothemis pallidistigma, female

Scan of dorsal side of male (top) and female (bottom). Note the differences in color of pterostigmata, the pale stigma of the male rare in Lyriothemis.

Details of hamule and genital lobe

A last few photos from Huu Lien* **

*Updated after publication of Paracercion ambiguum
** Updated again after publication of Lyriothemis kameliyae

Here are a last few photos from Huu Lien. It is Wednesday evening, so ready to start thinking of the coming weekend. But for now it is misty, rainy and cloudy, as it has been the last two months. Nevertheless, a few more shots of species seen on April 21. Tetracanthagyna waterhousei is new for the blog.

This is a male Prodasineura autumnalis, a rather common species

And this is a beautiful male Lyriothemis kameliyae. 

This is the Paracercion ambiguum male, a new species to science. 

And finally a female Tetracantagyna waterhousei. This bulky mama flew up higher into the trees, so I could not get better shots. It is a monster of a dragonfly.

Lyriothemis bivittata

Another species I still have to publish here is Lyriothemis bivittata. This is a very interesting dragonfly, because apparently it breeds in tree holes and also because although it has a wide distribution, it is said not to be recorded very often. It is known from Vietnam, but here also said to be uncommon. In fact, I have seen it in these few months here in Cuc Phuong, in Ba Be, in Ba Vi and in Tam Dao, so it really is not that rare, just never common. You see one here, one there, never several. And up to now I have just taken shabby pictures. I have seen it from May to August, but not after August 18. Next year I promise to take better pics. This is a striking libellulid, with bright orange-red abdomen and two big yellow spots on the side of the thorax. That goes for both males and females. Below are females.

Lyriothemis bivittata, female

Another female