Podolestes coomansi

Scientific name: Podolestes coomansi Lieftinck, 1940

Family: Megapodagrionidae

Thai name: แมลงปอเข็มปีกราบจุดฟ้า

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synthorax markings

On Valentine's day last year, while searching for odonates around my aunty's swamp, I found a strange spreadwing damselfly perching on the blade of Cattail (Typha angustifolia). The swamp is surrounded by mango tress and is covered with grasses, ferns and Cattails in shallow area. I sent the photos to Dr. Matti Hamalainen for his comments and he told me it's in genus Podolestes. He suggested me to send specimen to Dr. Vincent Kalkman, who study exclusively in Megapodagrionidae. Finally, the answer was P. coomansi.

juvenile male

Podolestes coomansi is first discovered in Palembang, Southeastern Borneo, Indonesia, in 1937. Since then, because of habitat loss and deforestation, there is no any record on this species. And now it's found in Thailand! At least this tells us it's still alive and extended its distribution to Thailand. I reported the discovery of this species in MALANGPO 23 (2009).

adult male

This species is very similar to P. orientalis found in Brunei, Borneo, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Peninsular Malaysia andSingapore. Male is brown with blue stripes (but in juvenile one, the blue stripes aren't evident). Front of synthorax has a blue oval spot in each side (not a streak as those of P. orientalis). The inferior appendages are longer than superior ones. Female is similar to the male in coloration and size but the abdomen is stouter.

female

Recently it's recorded in many provinces in Central and Southern Thailand. You can see this damselfly from February to December.

A question still remains...why is there no any record on P. orientalis in Thailand? The possibility of seeing P. orientalis in Thailand is more than P. coomansi! Intensive fieldtrips are needed to answer this question.