ECHO Communicating about Odonata of Tropical Asia [Go to Intro and other Echo issues]

In the last edition of the newsletter of the Worldwide Dragonfly Association ‘Agrion’ (vol 8. number 2) the first edition of ECHO was published. ECHO aims at informing all persons interested in dragonflies of Tropical Asia on current activities, field observations or fieldwork. All those interested and active in these regions are invited to contribute. Contributions should be stimulating, informal, entertaining and preferably not too long. Feel free to report travel highlights, remarkable observations, research interests or any other discovery or query that you wish to share with colleagues. We especially welcome contributions in which researchers keep their colleagues apprised of the focus, progress and problems in their studies.

ECHO will appear once or twice a year. Because not everyone receives AGRION, all issues of PHAON and ECHO will be sent by e-mail to other interested readers. Please send an e-mail to kalkman@nnm.nl if you do not want to receive this newsletter or if you know others who are interested to receive it.

The newsletter ECHO will also be published on Asian Dragonfly (http://www.asia-dragonfly.net/)

If you have questions or contributions, please contact one of us:

Matti Hämäläinen , ECHO
Vincent J. Kalkman , ECHO

ECHO (published in Agrion vol. 8, number 2)

Rory Dow and Graham Reels: Rory and Graham have just concluded a four-week sojourn in Sarawak , Borneo . Due to an administrative technicality, their collecting permits were not approved in time, but they were able to fully occupy themselves with observation and photography. They recorded over 110 species for the trip, which covered areas around Kuching, Lambir Hills National Park near Miri and Gunong Mulu National Park . Owing to park regulations they were unable to reach high elevations on Gunong Mulu, an area that has never been surveyed, but Rory hopes to return next year as part of a locally sponsored expedition to Mulu summit. Their visit has undoubtedly served to heighten awareness of Odonata locally with the park manager at Mulu now planning to produce a poster of common species.

Eric Gibert: Two years ago I started with the Asia-Dragonfly.net website. Originally I just wanted to sort out my photos of dragonflies and find some help with the identification. That is how I first met Keith Wilson . During a couple of discussions in a coffee place we defined the three objectives of the site: 1) collect photos of Oriental species to build a serious image database; 2) maintain an up to date species list; 3) gather other enthusiasts to share experiences. The site picked up some speed after 6 months of existence. Today, the photo library is a success: it contains more than 500 images, some of excellent quality, from all around Asia . The number of participants grew steadily and now more than 70 members have joined of which roughly half live in Asia . Some members are very active, having posted more than 20 photos. I met a couple of members while visiting their home country. The next step is to ensure that the site will offer more scientific information. ‘Echo - electronic version’ is a perfect move in this direction.

Everyone is invited to look at the website (www.asia-dragonfly.net) and to send additions for the image database.

Matti Hämäläinen: Matti’s interests are becoming more specialized than previously, focussing on the taxonomy of the Orien-tal Caloptera damselflies (Calopterygoidea). He ranks them as the most beautiful and interesting odonates to watch, observe and photograph in the field. Moreover they are sufficiently speciose in South East Asia - his favourite travel destination - to be a fitting subject for specialized investigation, especially as they offer many conundrums and taxonomic challenges. To make room for his growing synoptic ‘World Caloptera Collection’, Matti deposited most of his other odonate and insect collections in Leiden in late 2002. The museum sent a large removal van to collect them. However, he is still active in monitoring the diversity of the whole Order in Thailand , where he keeps returning regularly, and plans to compile an account of general odonate diversity in Krau Wildlife Reserve in Pahang. He also recently described Platycnemis phasmovolans, an extraordinary damselfly from Laos with mid and hind tibia greatly expanded into a flattened petiolate shape, their width 37-43 % of their length, a record for the order. Matti’s present ongoing taxonomic studies on Caloptera concern especially the genera Neurobasis, Archineura, Caliphaea and Devadatta. He has recently erected the new euphaeid genus Cryptophaea and described C. saukra from Thailand as its type. He is collaborating closely with Bert Orr, presently on a study of Neurobasis, with joint work on Chlorocyphidae planned.

Francy Kakkassery : At present I am engaged in the biodiversity studies of Dragonflies and Damselflies of Kerala State and Western Ghats (an array of mountains with tropical rainforests) in general, and with photographic documentation of endemic and endangered Odonates of this region and other parts of India in particular. A photo-field guide (Dragonflies and Damselflies of India, volume 1), the first of its kind in India , is going to be published by the end of this year.

Indian Odonatologists are scattered all over the country and effective communication through internet is lacking. To fill this gap, Dr. Tyagi, a well-known Indian odonatologist, and myself have taken the effort to start a new society focused on the study of Indian odonates named the Indian Dragonfly Society (IDS). One of the first activities will be the start of a web site containing information on Indian Odonatology. The formal inauguration of IDS and the first National Symposium on Indian Odonata, is to be held in St.Thomas’ College ( University of Calicut ), Trichur, Kerala State , in December 2004.

For more information on the IDS contact F.K. Kakkassery, Ph.D, Senior Lecturer, Research & Postgraduate Department of Zoology, St.Thomas’ College (University of Calicut), Trichur Dt. Pin 680 001,Kerala State , India.
Phone: +91 491 2510755
http:// www.geocities.com/indianodonata
E-mail: kakkassery@yahoo.com.

Vincent Kalkman: In March this year I, together with Jan van Tol, visited Mindanao for two weeks. The visit was aimed at helping the local university to establish a monitoring program for macroinvertebrates in two rivers in the Mount Malindang area. After the official part of our visit we went one day collecting together with Reagan Villanueva, a biology student from Mindanao who has taken a very active interest in odonates. The catch included good series of some undescribed or poorly known species of Drepanosticta. This material will be used in Jan’s forthcoming revision of the Philippine Platystictidae. On our way back we had a short meeting with Professor Victor P. Gapud. Recently he described Argiolestes baltazarae, as the second Philippine representative of this largely New Guinean genus. His efforts to find the larvae of these species has not been successful thus far. In November this year I together with KD Dijkstra, Niels Dingemanse and Kees Goudsmits hope to visit Borneo . Birds will take much of our time but we hope to be able to see and photograph many of the interesting Bornean odonates. Our itinerary will include Mount Kinabalu , Poring hot springs and Brunei , where we hope to visit Kuala Belalong Field Study Centre. This place is among the best-studied sites in SE-Asia and provides excellent opportunities to study odonates. I visited the station together with Rodzay Wahab, a member of the scientific staff of the station, in August 2003. The odonatological wealth of this location is stressed by the fact that we were able to collect specimens of 14 families and larvae of 13 families within just one kilometre of the station. Several species were new for Brunei among which were several poorly known Bornean endemics, such as Leptogomphus pendleburyi and L. pasia, showing that in SE-Asia even well-studied sites are not that well studied.

John Michalski: For the past 16 years I have been at work on a handbook to the Odonata of New Guinea and the neigh-bouring islands, from Maluku in the west to the Solomons in the east. This book will be a composite of all the work performed by Lieftinck, Brauer, Watson, and all the others, going back to 1867, and will feature roughly 1,400 line drawings, many taken from Lieftinck and other authors, but many others created by myself for this book. The work encompasses nearly 600 taxa including 5 previously undescribed. It is currently being edited for publication in the Netherlands (Fauna Malesiana), hopefully to reach press before 2005.

Bert Orr: Bert continues to work on the faunistics of Sundaland, especially Borneo , and is slowly compiling a complete key to the Odonata of Borneo. He would be grateful to hear of any interesting records from that Island . He is also, in collaboration with Matti Hämäläinen, studying the entire World chlorocyphid fauna, which includes elements in both Phaon and Echo. Currently Bert is working through photographs of type material taken on an extended trip to the BMNH last August-September.

Of his recent field activities he writes ‘Most of my fieldwork lately has been conducted from a comfortable divan set in front of the TV. I recently received two video tapes of South East Asian Caloptera damselflies, kindly prepared by Matti Hämäläinen, providing six hours viewing in total! I have especially been analysing the flight mechanics of Neurobasis chinensis males, so far as is possible at 25 frames per second. It seems that even in normal flight, such as when foraging, the amplitude and frequency of the hindwing beat are much less than that of the forewing. It has recently been shown by Dr Peter Vukusic of Exeter University School of Physics and colleagues that the iridescent green colour of the hindwing is due to structural interference caused by a multi-layer system of contrasting cuticular layers (Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 271, 595-601). A result of this is that the hindwing membrane is much thicker and heavier than that of the hyaline forewing. Apparently, partly because of this anomaly, the major propulsive power derives from the forewings. Of course this is especially so when the hingwings are held rigidly flat in display’. Wanted one energetic postgraduate student – has high speed camera, will travel.

Keith Wilson : The second edition of the Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Hong Kong is due to be published in late June 2004. The first edition, published in October 2003, sold out very quickly, no doubt due to dual language content i.e. Chinese and English. The first edition treats the 111 species known from Hong Kong and the second edition provides an account of 112 species following the discovery of a new species of Fukienogomphus in Hong Kong . The book is authored by KDP Wilson in collaboration with a young team of local Chinese employed by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. The book should be available from Comos Books Ltd., 13/F Greatmany Centre, 109-115 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong, Fax: (852) 28652609 or Yesasia online booksellers. I am just completing the Anisoptera of Guangxi Zhuang Auton-omous Region and intend to submit for publication during this summer. Some 117 species of Anisoptera are recorded from Guangxi, which at 273,000 km² is slightly larger than the United Kingdom . Later in the year I hope to study material from Guangdong Province and plan to publish an inventory of this region in 2005-2006. Last year I undertook fieldwork in Guang-dong but this year I hope to spend a little time in the relatively unknown Guizhou Province and make a short fieldtrip to Malaysia .

[Read Keith's article "Dragonfly groups of conservation interest confined to the Oriental Region"]

From cool hill resorts to humid rainforest:
an odonatological trip to Peninsular Malaysia
(July 2002)

Vincent Kalkman

In July 2002 I, together with my girlfriend Anke Wouters, went on a three-week holiday to peninsular Malaysia . Besides having a good time I hoped to get somewhat more acquainted with SE-Asian odonates. Our itinerary took us to many of the well-known birding hotspots and touristic sites. Luckily most of these places offered dragonflies also.

After arriving in the middle of the night we spent the first annoying hours at the still deserted airport and in the oppressing heat of Kuala Lumpur ’s major bus station. After this we were relieved to arrive in the cool air of the Fraser Hill hill-resort, one of a number of hill-resorts build by the British as summer-retreats. The combination of good roads, large gardens and surrounding forest make birding easy and the montane forest yields many species absent from larger parts of Peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand . Birding took most of the time and most of the dragonflies encountered were common species such as Orthetrum glaucum and O. luzonicum, which were encountered at small ditches in the village. Half an hour was spent at a small brook somewhat lower near the Gap Rest-house. Here Devadatta argyoides, Euphaea ochracea and Rhinocypha fenestrella, all true running water species, were encountered. Most interesting was a male Calicnemia rectangulata, which was found sitting on leaves above the brook. This species is endemic for the mountains in Peninsular Malaysia and is only known from localities above 500 metres in the hill resorts of Fraser Hill, Cameron Highlands and Larut Hill. The other fourteen species of this platycnemid genus all have a montane distribution, most of them found in the Himalayan range.

Next on our trip was the reserve of Taman Negara, one of the largest pieces of tropical rainforest left in Asia . The reserve covers 4343 square kilometres and large parts are still difficult to explore. Happily the few square kilometres with easily accessible tracks near the park headquarters offers first time visitors enough to see. The dense forest and the humid heath made birding difficult and sometimes slow. But the forest itself and its rich birdlife made it extremely worthwhile. We regularly encountered wardens and so we did not dare to use our nets very much. Both Indaeschna grubaueri and Gynacantha subinterrupta were found during daytime in the forest when they were resting on twigs along the track. During a late evening swim we saw numerous Anisoptera, probably mostly aeshnids, hawking above and along the river. One of these was gigantic and I believed it to be a Tetracanthagyna. Due to its accessibility, good facilities and its size Taman Negara is probably one of the best places to study lowland rainforest odonates in SE-Asia. Not only does it give opportunity to catch a range of inter-esting species but it would also offer a good opportunity to do ecological studies or collect larvae.

Our next destination, Lake Chini , does not feature on the itinerary of most tourists but is certainly worth a visit as large parts of the lake are covered with lotus. At many places the lake is bordered with marshy fringes but sadly most of the adjacent forest has been converted to oil-palm-plantations. The marshes along the lake were inhabited by many common coenagrionid and libellulid species. More interesting species were found at a small, almost stagnant runnel, in a small piece of secondary swamp forest. Along a small track in this forest six male Podolestes buwaldai were caught. This megapodagrionid was so far only known from one male from Sumatra and two males and one female from the Selangor Province in Peninsular Malaysia. All males I collected were caught along the track in the forest, all of them sitting on the vegetation about a metre above the ground. None of them showed active behaviour and no females were encountered. The seven species of the genus Podo-lestes are confined to Sumatra , Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia. The description of their habitats gives the impression that all of them are confined to muddy brooks in marshy forest. Little is known of their behaviour and their larvae have not been des-cribed. The inner surface of the femora and tibiae of P. buwaldai are conspicuous orange. The only other species of Podo-lestes where the inner surface of the femora is brightly coloured is P. chrysopus, where they are sulphur yellow. It seems likely that these conspicuous colours have a function during contests between males or during courtship. Also at this locality two females of Amphicnemis or Teinobasis were found which are difficult to identify without a male. In one of the more or less standing pools an ovipositing female Tetrathemis irregularis was observed. She made fast dipping movements and continued even when I tried to catch her and touched her with my fingertips.

In order to have an opportunity of snorkelling, we visited the Isle of Tioman on the east coast. This isle is quite large and, due to its mountainous interior, still largely covered with forest. During a walk from Kampung Tekek to Kampung Juara we crossed a number of brooks. Besides a number of common running water species we caught two males of a Drepanosticta fontinalis (det. Jan van Tol). This is probably the most common of the seven species of Drepanosticta known from the Malaysian Peninsula , five of these, including fontinalis, are endemic for Peninsular Malaysia. All species of Drepanosticta have small area’s of distribution and it is therefore interesting that fontinalis is found both on the Isle of Penang and on the Isle of Tioman, the latter lying at a distance of approximately 50 km from the mainland. In the villages of Tioman only common ubiquistic species were found. Most interesting among these is Raphismia bispina of which one male was caught. This species is distributed across Sundaland and is one of the few species of dragonfly to live mainly in mangrove swamps. The species reminded me of a very slender Brachydiplax and is peculiar in having two spines on the synthorax between the legs. Lieftinck’s handlist of the Odonata of Malaysian region gives only four species for the isle of Tioman, two of which we did not see (Devadatta argyoides tiomanensis and Prodasineura notostigma). The total for the Isle stands now on 13, but several common wanderers from mainland are yet to be found and as the isle is largely covered with virgin forest and has a number of brooks it is also likely that several more interesting addition to its fauna are to be found.

After Tioman we headed for some sight-seeing in Malaka, and found its zoo to be productive for dragonflies. Of course the ponds in the zoo contained mainly common coenagrionids and libellulids but I was happy to see Epophthalmia vittigera. A few males of this species were patrolling along the boardwalk above a lake used for waterfowl. They stayed very neatly about one metre from the boardwalk and patrolled stretches of about 100 metres over and over again. This behaviour made them easy to observe and relatively easy to catch, quite unlike most of their near relatives (Macromia, Macromidia).

The last days of our holiday were spent in Kuala Lumpur were we visited the field station of University of Malaysia in the Gombak Valley together with Y. Norma Rashid. The valley offers good forest and numerous brooks despite the fact that it lies near the city and the number of inhabitants of the valley is still rising. Zygonyx iris was common and hunting individuals were seen at roadsides and between buildings. At a small brook several male Echo modesta were found, which were easily identified by their large size and the peculiar white square of pruinescence on a large part of the frons and postclypeus. The morning before our departure was spend at Rimba Ilmu, the botanical gardens University of Malaysia . The gardens offer an easy way to see many of the common Southeast Asian dragonflies without leaving Kuala Lumpur . And, although common and widespread, the miniscule Nannophya pygmaea, the first I ever saw, formed the final highlight of the holiday.

List of localities

(1) Selangor, Fraser’s Hill (Hill Resort), 65 km N of Kuala Lumpur ; 07.July.2002
(2) Selangor, Fraser’s Hill (Hill Resort), 65 km N of Kuala Lumpur ; 08.July.2002
(3) Selangor, 8 km S of Fraser’s Hill, brook 2 km E of The Gap Resthouse, 60 km N of Kuala Lumpur; 10.July.2002
(4) Pahang, 55 km N of Jerantut, surroundings of Park Headquarters near village of Kuala Tahan ; 12-15.July.2002
(5) Pahang, 65 km SW of Kuantan, southern part of Lake Chini, few km west of Lake Chini resort at small forest stream; 16.July.2002
(6) Pahang, 65 km SW of Kuantan, southern part of Lake Chini, few km west of Lake Chini resort, marshy area’s along lake; 16.July.2002
(7) Pahang, Isle of Tioman at Kampung Salang; 20.July.2002
(8) Pahang, Isle of Tioman, Mountain between Kampung Air Bantang and Kampung Juara; 21.July.2002
(9) Melaka, Melaka Zoo at Ayer Keroh, 10 N of Malaka; 23.July.2002
(10) Selangor, Village Kuala Selangor, nature park Taman Alam Kuala Selangor; 25.July.2002
(11) SELANGOR, 22 km N of Kuala Lumpur, Templer Park; 28.July.2002
(12) SELANGOR, Gombak Valley, 20 N of Kuala Lumpur, between Bailey bridge and Orang Asli Museum; 29.July.2002
(13) SELANGOR, Gombak Valley, 20 N of Kuala Lumpur, Surroundings of University of MALAYA field station; 30.July.2002
(14) SELANGOR, Kuala Lumpur, University of MALAYA CAMPUS, Rimba Ilmu botanical gardens; 31.July.2002

List of records

Number of collected specimens is stated. No details are given if a species was not collected. p = present, m = male, f = female,

Platystictidae

Drepanosticta fontinalis Lieftinck, 1937: (8) 2m

Protoneuridae

Prodasineura autumnalis (Fraser, 1922): (11) 5m (12) 1m
Prodasineura ?collaris (Selys, 1860): (12) 1f
Prodasineura laidlawi (Foerster, 1907): (11) 2m (13) 2m

Coenagrioanidae

Aciagrion hisopa (Selys, 1876): (14) 2m, 1f
Agriocnemis pygmaea (Rambur, 1842): (9) 1f
Argiocnemis rubescens Selys, 1877: (12) 1m
Amphicnemis / Teinobasis: (5) 2f
Ceriagrion cerinorubellum (Brauer, 1865): (14) 2m, 1f
Coeliccia albicauda (Foerster in Laidlaw & Foerster, 1907): (4) 1m (8) 6m, 2f (12) 1m (13) 4m
Ischnura senegalensis (Rambur, 1842): (9) 1m
Pseudagrion australasiae (Selys, 1876): (6) 1m (9) 1m
Pseudagrion microcephalum (Rambur, 1842): (9) 2m, 1f
Pseudagrion pruinosum (Burmeister, 1839): (11) 1m
Pseudagrion williamsoni Fraser, 1922: (5) 1m (6) 3m, 1f P. coomansi Lieftinck, 1937 might be a synonym of this species]

Platycnemidae

Calicnemia rectangulata Laidlaw, 1933: (1) 1m
Copera marginipes (Rambur, 1842): (12) 3m, 1f (14) 1f
Copera vittata (Selys, 1863): (4) 2m (5) 1m

Megapodagrionidae

Podolestes buwaldai Lieftinck, 1940: (5) 5m (of which one is in collection of N. Rashid)

Amphipterygidae

Devadatta argyoides argyoides (Selys, 1859): (1) 2m (11) 2m (13) 2m

Chlorocyphidae

Libellago lineata (Burmeister, 1839): (11) 2m, 1f
Heliocypha biforata Selys, 1859): (11) 2m
Aristocypha fenestrella (Rambur, 1842): (3) 1m (11) 1m (12) 1m

Euphaeidae

Dysphaea dimidiata (Selys, 1853): (4) 1m
Euphaea impar (Selys, 1859): (8) 3m, 1f
Euphaea ochracea (Selys, 1859): (3) 2m (11) 1m, 1f (12) 1m

Calopterygidae

Echo modesta Laidlaw, 1902: (13) 2m
Neurobasis chinensis (Linnaeus, 1758): (4) p (11) 1m
Vestalis amethystina Lieftinck, 1965: (12) 1m, 1f
Vestalis amoena (Hagen in Selys, 1853): (8) 2m, 2f (11) 2m, 1f

Gomphidae

Ictinogomphus decoratus (Selys, 1854): (6) 1m (9) 1m
Microgomphus chelifer (Selys, 1858): (13) 1f

Aeshnidae

Anax guttatus (Burmeister, 1839): (9) p
Gynacantha subinterrupta Rambur, 1842: (4) 1m (5) 1m
Indaeschna grubaueri (Foerster, 1962): (4) 1m

Corduliidae

Epophthalmia vittigera (Rambur, 1842): (9) 1m

Libellulidae

Acisoma panorpoides Rambur, 1842: (14) 1f
Brachydiplax chalybea Brauer, 1868: (6) 1m (8) 1m (9) 1m
Brachydiplax farinosa Krüger, 1902: (12) 1m
Brachythemis contaminata (Fabricius, 1793): (6) p (9) 2m (10) p
Cratilla metallica (Brauer, 1878): (8) 1f
Crocothemis servilia (Drury, 1773): (6) 1m (9) p (10) p
Diplacodes nebulosa (Fabricius, 1793): (6) 1m, 1f (9) 1m
Diplacodes trivialis (Rambur, 1842): (4) p (8) 1f
Lathrecista asiatica (Fabricius, 1798): (5) 1f
Lyriothemis cleis (Brauer, 1868): (5) 4m (14) 1f
Nannophya pygmaea Rambur, 1842: (14) 3m
Neurothemis fluctuans (Frabricius, 1793): (5) 2m, 3f (6) 1m (7) 2m, 1f (11) 1m
Orthetrum chrysis (Selys, 1891): (11) 1m
Orthetrum glaucum (Brauer, 1865): (1) p (4) p (8) 1m (12) 1m
Orthetrum luzonicum (Brauer, 1868): (1) 1m, 1f (9) 1f (14) 2m
Orthetrum sabina (drury, 1773): (4) p (9) 1m
Orthetrum testaceum (Burmeister, 1839): (5) 1m (11) 1m, 2f
Orthetrum triangulare (Selys, 1878): (2) p
Pantala flavescens (Fabricius, 1798): (2) p (4) p (5) 1m (8) p (9) p (10) p (11) p
Pseudothemis jorina Foerster, 1904: (9) p
Raphismia bispina ( Hagen , 1867): (7) 1m
Rhyothemis obsolescens Kirby, 1889: (5) 1m
Rhyothemis phyllis (Sulzer, 1776): (6) 1f (9) p (14) p
Rhyothemis plutonia Selys, 1883: (6) 1m
Rhyothemis triangularis Kirby, 1889: (6) p (14) 1m
Tetrathemis irregularis Brauer, 1868: (5) 1f (9) 1m
Tholymis tillarga (Fabricius, 1798): (10) p
Trithemis aurora (Burmeister, 1839): (4) p (9) 1m (11) p (12) p
Trithemis festiva (Rambur, 1842): (9) p (11) p (12) p
Trithemis pallidinervis (Kirby, 1889): (6) 2m
Tyriobapta torrida Kirby, 1889: (4) 1m (5) 1f (14) p
Urothemis signata (Rambur, 1842): (6) 1m (9) p (14) p
Zygonyx iris (Laidlaw, 1902): (11) 3m (12) 1m, 1f (13) 4m,1f