Okay, one more: Onychargia priydak

Now that I am at it, let's add this one species also to the blog: Onychargia priydak. This is another species that had just been described by Oleg Kosterin in 2015 from Cambodia. It is similar to Onychargia atrocyana, and the females are indistinguishable, but its caudal appendages are somewhat different. A big difference however is that the males develop beautiful whitish pruinosity. That at least makes them easy to recognize! I was able to get a quick photo before the male disappeared. During subsequent searches I found many immatures and females, but none as nice as this specimen.

Again, this species was found close to Bao Loc. A new species for Vietnam, but not unexpected, given the proximity to the Cambodian border.

Beautiful male Onychargia priydak, with pruinose prothorax, synthorax, femora and S1-2.

Wrapping it up at Cat Tien

All in all it has been an amazing time at Cat Tien National Park again, bringing in plenty of new discoveries and showing what a treasure trove Vietnam really is, when it comes to Odonata. I saw about 270 in 2014 and there is definitely no end in sight, but most of my time is spent in the north. So these trips to the south are a rare treat and bring in loads of new experiences. For one, there is no real quiet season. Although in the north even now you can find dragons or damsels (just last week, on the 26th I had a female Megalestes micans in Sa Pa (yes, even at that height they hang on in the cold) that does not compare to the exciting hustle and bustle of the south. Here is a few more damsel pictures to wrap up adventures there.

Male of Argiocnemis rubescens, very common in November

And the immature female of Argiocnemis rubescens

Another species that was surprisingly common this time round was Onychargia atrocyana, here a male

But what was really a surprise was Rhinagrion hainanense. This is a male, although I also saw a female. Very similar R. yokoii has recently been shown to be a junior synonym of this species.

In the meantime, while having breakfast...

Today, October 5, I prepare postings on the Pia Oac trip of yesterday. It is cloudy and the car needs repairs, so a good day for work. But first we had breakfast on Xuan Dieu and decided to check the pond near the Sheraton Hotel, for the fun of it. Ischnura senegalensis, Ceriagrion auranticum, Pseudagrion rubriceps, Brachythemis contaminata and… Onychargia atrocyana. The latter was a big surprise. It is somehow irregular and I had not seen any before around Hanoi. And there it was, right at our doorstep. In fact two immature males, of which I was able to convince one to sit on the bridge for an instant.

Onychargia atrocyana male, showing the purple on the thorax under flash light

A few more damsels from Cat Tien worth mentioning

During the first week of August I was the guest of Roy Bateman at the lodge there, helping with the dragonfly list for the reserve. A terrible time as far as the weather was concerned. I sadly lost one camera to the incessant rain and my lenses were foggy for a large part. Still, a few additional record shots…

Let's start with Pseudocopera ciliata. A common species, but the interesting thing is that as far as I know this species is monotypic. However, in northern Vietnam the apical half of the inferior appendages is white, like the remainder of the appendages, whereas in Cat Tien, and as far as I could verify from photos from Thailand also elsewhere in the south the apical half is black.

Close-up of the appendages

This little lady is a fresh female Onycharga atrocyana, photo taken in the rain, sorry.

And this little fella is Agriocnemis nana, a pretty whispy thing that I saw on several occasions, one at the pond in the lodge garden. Apparently a southern species

When I saw this immature Argiocnemis rubescens my heart skipped a beat. It is so different from the pruinose pale examples I saw in Bac Kan Province that it is hard to believe it is the same species, certainly if you also take a look at the mature version from Cat Tien.

For this is the very blue mature male. I saw many, and none should any trace of pruinosity. Like: really? The same species?

The immature male along a tarmac road in inundated grass

A mature male perched at the edge of a pool

Onychargia atrocyana

This weekend I was on a mission in the Mekong Delta. And I know that I said I would be back next year, but when visiting the a Fish Breeding Center (with Pantala flavescens and plenty of Brachythemis contaminata), I plucked a small blackish damsel from a bush near the entrance. A few quick and dirty shots with the iPad, and I released it again. It is a species that undoubtedly is common on spring and early summer, even in the north, but that I had as yet failed to see: Onychargia atrocyana. So, even if the photos are terrible, I would like to share this with you! (Until next year I can replace these with better pics).

Onychargia atrocyana, male

And the same male ventrally