Wednesday, May 9, 2018

199. Devadatta argyoides (Selys, 1859)

Number: 199  
Family: Devadattidae
Genus: Devadatta  
Species: Devadatta argyoides
Common name(s): Malayan Grisette  
Synonyms: Tetraneura argyoides Selys, 1859   
Habitat: A leafy (but boggy) road overflow area nr. HB HQ  
Province(s) sighted: Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary (Narathiwat) 
Sightings (by me): 1 male 2 females 
In flight (that I have seen): April    
Species easily confused with: --

As with many species, Devadatta argyoides was one of those that seems locally common along the west of Thailand southwards and has just simply evaded my camera. However, even when I did come across it, I almost missed it as it was at a tiny overflow area at the bottom of the road at HQ. There was a tiny, but inaccessible trickle running through and it would appear that a few species were hanging on in there until the rains arrived. I also saw a solitary male and a female Prodasineura collaris, a male Cratilla metallica and a solitary male Tyriobapta torrida hanging around the concrete posts close by! There were also several males of an Idionyx sp. flitting about at a million miles an hour as dusk approached (but were way to fast to catch or ID). Anyway, at around 6.30am, I noticed a female perched on a twig just above the rotting leaves. I almost ignored it, but my brain took over and I tried to photograph it... damn!!! The lens had fogged up! I had to wait almost 30 minutes for it to clear. By then, the damsel had gone! Amazingly, I found another slightly further away and it was fairly easy to get shots though the lighting was terrible. I returned to the same place the following afternoon and was fortunate enough to spot the male, who was also quite happy to let me snap away! So, not bad for a pile of leaves!

The male
The male is very dull in appearance but does have a few flecks of blue on its abdomen.
I was also fortunate enough to capture the male with my fingers and could use (slightly) better lighting...

The female
The female is very similar to the male but has a more robust abdomen. It is also fairly easy to approach, though by mid-morning they had disappeared.


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