Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Sidetracked on Saipan: Anaciaschna jaspidae and butterflies!

Found this little guy (actually pretty big for a dragonfly) at Naftan point on Saipan. My group partner almost chopped off its head in the pursuit. It is a rusty darner, Anaciaschna jaspidae, found also on Guam. It is very beautiful and the male we caught had marvelous marble-like blue eyes. The female eyes are green colored. Even with head partly decapitated, it put up a fight and bit the hand of my partner. At times its abdomen would coil upwards as if to strike. However, I think it did this because it was in pain.

Last two weeks spent studying butterfly abundance. These two Eurema blandas seem to be having a good time. I thought I'd be sick of butterflies by the end of the course, but fortunately that is not the case.
Two E. blanda

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