Rhinagrion hainanensis Wilson and Reels, 2001

This species was described based on the male holotype that collected from Hainan. Latter the female and its larvae was described in detail by Sasamoto et al. in 2011. The species R. yokoii Sasamotoi, 2003 was found from Laos is synonym of this species. It is the second species of the genus that found in Vietnam, the other is R. mima which was found from other South East Asian countries and in Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam as well. 

A medium-small sized damselfly, this species has colourful body with black, cream-emerald, cream-yellowish, turquoise, red-brown and brick-red marking. The head is narrower in width than it of other later damselflies with three ocelli are quite big and close together. The face is unmistakeable with two lateral cream-emerald markings. The thorax is colourful; the dorsum of the synthorax is black with two big cream-yellowish markings while in lateral view, the thorax is change from red-brown to cream-turquoise with black markings. In ventral view, the synthorax and inner side of femora are light-turquoise. The dorsal abdomen segments are red dark brown with cream-yellowish and dark-turquoise marking. Remarkably, at ventral view, the sixth to eighth segments are bright brick-red while they are light orange in the ninth and tenth segments. Their wings are petiolate, hyaline and alway in horizontal position at rest. 

They live in clean, swift and shallow streams in good humid forests of the centre of Vietnam. The colourful body makes the species to be brightening in any views: dorsal, lateral or ventral. They are weak flied insects and usually hide in vegetations that hanging over the water.

Male, lateral view, photographed by Cuong Do, Phu Yen provine

Close up face of male, photographed by Cuong Do, Phu Yen Province

Rhipidolestes owadai Asahina, 1997

This species was described the first time based on specimens from Tam Dao National Park, by Asahina in 1997. Recently, it has been known that very common locally in pristine forests of North Mountain in Vietnam. 

A small medium size damselfly, the body is deep black with cream yellow marking. Males and females are similar. The head with distinct cream yellow face. The thorax is very typical with two cream yellow strips in lateral view. Of which, the anterior strip continues from synthorax to prothorax. The wings are petiolated and always open at rest. The legs are red brown; with base of femur is cream yellow. There is a spin on dorsal side of 10th segment of the male abdomen. 

The damselfly is found in pristine forests of High Mountain with elevation about 1000 m. The females fly far from their breeding sites while the males usually guard their territory where are humid streams in dark forests. However, they are weakly flying insects; often hide themselves in dark of canopy or in side vegetation of the forests. 

Male, photographed by Cuong Do, Tam Dao

Female, photographed by Cuong Do, Tam Dao

Noguchiphaea yoshikoae Asahina, 1976

Asahina (1976) described a new calopterygid genus Noguchiphaea based on two male specimens of N. yoshikoae Asahina, 1976 from Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai Province in the northern part of Thailand. Subsequently Asahina (1981) described the female of this species, which was collected in the same area - Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai - as the type, and provided additional characters for the genus. In a third paper, Asahina (1985) described further characters of both sexes and considered N. yoshikoae as endemic to Thailand.

Recently, the species has been found in north of Vietnam, Tam Dao National Park and Xuan Son National Park. This is a small-medium sized damselfly; the head and body are metallic green with cream-yellow patches on lower synthorax. As well as it of the female, the male prothorax has distinct structure dorsal posterior lobe. The inferior anal appendages are undeveloped in the male. The wings are hyaline with apical fade spot and both fore and hind wings are petiolate at very base. They fly in the end of rain season in good forests of high mountains and do not live far from the breeding sites. They are weak flying insects and usually perch on vegetations near clean running water.

Male, photographed by Cuong Do, Tam Dao National Park

Female, photographed by Cuong Do, Tam Dao National Park

Actias chapae bezverkhovi Sochivko & Ivshin, 2008

This species is one of the most beautiful moth of Saturniidae family that found from Vietnam with very long tails of the hind wings.  The species was described based on material that collected from Sa Pa (as its name, Chapa), Lao Cai Province.

Since 2008, two subspecies of Actias chapae have been found: A. chapae chapae and A. chapae bezverkhovi. The previous subspecies distributed in North Vietnam and South of China and the later is only found from South Vietnam. They are high elevation moths and live in pristine forests with high level of humidity. A. chapae bezverkhovi be in mature form in April to October duration of the year. The subspecies was record in 2 provinces, Lam Dong and Dak Lak.

Male, photographed by Cuong Do, Chu Yang Sin National Park, Dak Lak

Neurobasis chinensis (Linnaeus, 1758)

This is quite common Asian species and is one of the earliest known species of dragonfly. It was named by Linnae based on a picture in book cover of bird. And because in the picture the specimen was drawn with the wings in horizontal position, this species formerly was put in Anisoptera suborder by Linnae. Name of species is specified its locality, from China.

The medium sized damselfly, this species has shining green body and hind-wing is metallic green. The head, thorax and abdomen of the male are metallic green while female has fader green body. The wings of the male distinguish from them of the female. Female’s fore-wing has a white spot at pterosigma position – psedopterostigma, while male’s fore-wings are dust yellowish hyaline and instead of psedopterostigma, there is a white spot at nodus position. The hind-wings of female are shinning colorful, metallic green with an apical black patch on upper side and they are quite dust yellowish hyaline in female.

They are very active damselflies, and live at open swift streams from low to high lands. They never fly far from their breeding habitat; males are strict in territorial defense by showing their flash metallic green hind-wings. Males fly very close to the water surface while females usually perch on vegetations nearby. In courtship flying, males usually keep the hind-wing open in horizontal position to show the flash green upper surface of the wings under sunshine. Sometime males just clap their hind-wings as resting and the action is signal to other males in territorial informing or to coming females for mating. Females insert their eggs into aqua vegetation tissue; in many cases, female sinks in the water during the oviposition while the male around.

Male, photographed by Cuong Do, Ba Vi

Male, photographed by Cuong Do, Pioac Nature Reserve, Cao Bang Province

Male, showing his hind wing in opened position, photographed by Cuong Do, Hon Ba Nature Reserve, Khanh Hoa Province

Atrocalopteryx laosica Fraser, 1933

Species name is specified the locality of holotype which was recorded from Laos.

                                               

A large size damselfly, the body is shining metallic green. The legs are slim with long spin rows. In the sunlight, the body reflects from metallic red-green to blue-green in colour. Two pairs of wing always fold up above the abdomen; they are red-black and darker than those of Atrocalopteryx coomani. The abdomen is somehow flattened in dorsal-ventral side.

The mature forms fly at opened but clear streams with rich of oxygen on highlands of west-north of Vietnam. The damselflies usually appear from middle to the end of rain season with high humidity. They are not very active insects and often perch on vegetation near the water.

Male, photographed by Cuong Do, Lao Cai

Calopteryx coomani (Fraser, 1935)

This species was described by R. Martin in 1904 base on the specimens collected from Tonkin, Vietnam.

A large size damselfly, it is shining metallic green with two pairs of dark colour wings. The head, thorax and abdomen are green metallic, the legs are delegate and spiny, the middle and hind tibia are curve. The wings are dark, the colour is same in both sides, the wings are not unicolour, and remarkably there is a large basal anal patch hyaline in forewings. The forewings of females have a white spot at pterostigma position and it is called psedopterostigma.

They are live at clean streams in pristine forests on high limestone mountains of North Vietnam. The mature forms fly during the rain season and they live in shade area with high humidity. Occasionally, males perch in the sunlight with the wings folded along the abdomen and show their shining metallic green body. They are not so active and usually fly weakly among branches of vegetations near the breeding sites. 

Male, Tam Dao National Parck, photographed by Cuong Do

Female with the white spot on her wings, Tam Dao National Park, photographed by Cuong Do

Caliphaea confusa Hagen in Selys, 1859

This species was recorded the by Asahina from North Vietnamese forests in 1995. Dumon 2005, analysed the ITS and Ribosome gene area of members of Caloptera and the result showed that genome type of Caliphaea is not close to it of Noguchiphaea as their structure of their wing venation.

It is a small size calopterid damselfly. The synthorax is shining metallic green with yellowish marking, the abdomen is slim and shining metallic green with end segments usually are pruinose on dorsal side. Their wings are hyaline or amber hyaline, slightly petiolate at base and always are folded at rest; the pterostigma is always present.

They are rare species but common locally, live in pristine forests of Limestone Mountains in the North of Vietnam. Both male and female are weak flying and they usually rest on vegetations around their breeding sites. Larvae of the species live in clear, fast running streams with high concentrate of oxygen and covered by vegetation.

Male, photographed by Cuong Do, Hoang Lien National Park, Sa Pa, Lao Cai Province

Archineura hetaerinoides (Fraser, 1933)

The species is a heavy built damselfly, and it is one of the biggest zygopteran. The body is variable from dark green to copper and there are pruinose patches on the synthorax and the abdomen. Their wings are hyaline with smoky patch at base. In the mature forms, the wings somehow to be light orange and look dust. Male and female are not dimorphism so they look similar and female is distinct with her robust abdomen.

They live in open clear and swift streams of secondary forests of high land in the North of the country with elevation over 700m. Mature forms do not fly far from their breeding habitats and the male keeps his territory even in rain. Individuals of both sexes perch not so high above of the water surface, usually they rest on rocks or water plants near the flowing water. 

Male just above the water, photographed by Cuong Do, Lao Cai Province

Dysphaea gloriosa Fraser, 1938

They are similar in the size of D. basitincta, the body robust built and more colourful. Males of the species are deep black with dark orange marking on the thorax and the abdomen. The wings are narrow and long, their colour is amber hyaline and make the wings are brighten in sunlight. The wings usually are folded at rest; particularly they are sometime open as perching above the water. The females are less colourful than the males with their wings are more hyaline.

                               

Their habitats are similar to those of D. bastitincta but D. gloriosa is much more widespread in the country. They have been found at streams or rivers in open secondary forests or lowland areas. They do not live far from their breeding habitats and usually perch on vegetations around streams.

Male, photo taken by Cuong Do, Hoa Binh