2019 Challenge: Game on!
So after having contributed to Malte's paper on odonatans of Timor, I have extracted a list of species I'm meant to look for during 2019, these include:
• Anaciaeschna jaspidea (CRESPUSCULAR - Meokana)
• Anax gibbosulus (Site selected: Oeupo)
• Epophthalmia vittigera
• Hemicordulia australiae
• Hemicordulia tau
• Rhyothemis graphiptera
• Rhyothemis phyllis
• Tetrathemis irregularis
• Urothemis aliena
• Zygonyx ida (site selected to survey: Nubau falls, Padiae)
• Zyxomma obtusum (CRESPUSCULAR - site selected to survey: Sumlilin river, Cruz)
• Zyxomma petiolatum (CREPUSCULAR - site selected: To be identified)
According to surveys conducted in Malaysia, most of the crepuscular activity seems to happen in May. While so I have noted crepuscular species throughough the year (mainly Tholymis tillarga). I shall continue to survey during dusk and dawn to see if I notice any increase in number and/or changes in the species.
Wilson, K.D.P., Gibert, E. (2006). Survey of Odonata at Endau-Rompin, Peninsular Malaysia. Technical Report.
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Hi Rui, In the past week or so I recorded Zyxomma petiolatum at a single site on Rote island off West Timor - I saw about 8 indiv and got photos of at least 5 indiv - all my obs were after 8am and mostly 10am to 4 pm. The ones I got photos of were roosting low down in vegetation (ferns, sedges, also Melaleuca trees about 20 cm above ground to 2 m above ground. They are very easy to disturb as you walk through spring or swamp vegetation next to water -- and they behave nicely flying 1-2 m to the next perch. So easy to photograph. I think all the ones I saw I probably observed after disturbing them at roost. It was unusual habitat, in what would once have been an extensive area of swamp forest (c.200 ha) with 2 impressive freshwater springs-- now half is coconut plantation, and much of the rest ricefields. Grenadier was also in the swamp forest, at waters edge. Swamp was Paperbark Melaleuca dominated.
@drcolintrainor I have found Z. obtusum I find them very hard to com across when they are roosting, I'll follow your habitat descriptions and see if I can photograph some Z. petiolatum, I'm really keen to take pictures of it and T. tillarga roosting.
That swampy area in far west of Oecusse may be good....though obviously distant...and perhaps much converted to rice also...
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