Vestalis atropha An Endemic Damselfly of Borneo

Identification Guide to ♂ Vestalis amoena

Identification Guide to
Vestalis atropha
Common on Borneo forest streams
♀50mm
body length = 50mm
hind wing = 35mm

Ovipositor of a female Vestalis atropha
♀50mm

Segment 10 : Anal appendage and Paraproct
Segment 8 and 9 : Ovipositor of a female damselfly consists of :
Ovipositor :
1-Stylus
2- Basal plate (Lam)

Slender and fairly large with long thin legs. Head and body are mainly metallic- green. No pterostigma on the wings

This male Vestalis atropha size measurement :
Whole body length = 60mm
Front wing length = 36mm

Rounded seminal vesicle (end of segment 2) fully stored with sperms ready to mate.

Seminal Vesicle is the bulblike structure at the end of segment two of a male for storing sperm. Before mating, all male odonates translocate sperm from the testes (segment 9) to this penis at segment 2 and stored in the seminal vesicles.

Compare with V. amoena and V. amethystina, the inferior anal appendages of this Vestalis atropha are withered and thin.

Superior anal appendage curved inward and terminally expanded.
The inferior anal appendages (the lower pair of appendages) of Vestalis atropha are so shot and thin that could not be seen from top.

Here are index to damselflies sorted according to colour for our quick identification:

Out of the global 10 families of damselflies, the following 7 families are found in Borneo Island :

Damselfly head include :
1- compound eyes,
2- ocelli,
3- antennae,
4- mouth structures

Dragonflies of Borneo
"With 275 named species so far recorded in Borneo, the island has one of the richest and most exciting dragonfly faunas in the world. More than 40% of species occur nowhere else, making it the most distinctive sub-region of Sundaland." A Guide to the Dragonflies of Borneo by Albert G. Orr

GO FURTHER

Dragonflies of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore

Dragonflies are among the most beautiful of insects. Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore are home to more than 230 species (twice the number found in Europe). They include some of the most exquisite forms found anywhere in the World.

FLORA

Fig trees of Sabah

Borneo has 150 species of wild fig trees. Most of them are found in forests of Sabah.

FISHERIES

Tiger Prawn Farms in Tawau

Prawn farming is a main commercial activities in Tawau. Spawners from Tawau are graded the best in Malaysia. For decades, Tawau has been exporting high-grade tiger prawns to several countries such as Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Egypt and Australia.

A Guide to Common Spiders in BORNEO ISLAND