Heliocypha biforata | Magenta-backed Jewel

How beautiful and enchanting they are! That was the natural impression that came to mind when I saw the colorful damselflies perched on the rocks sticking out of the river at the Blang Kolam waterfall spot.

In my previous post, I shared some photos of the damselfly of Euphaea variegata, so this time I will share pictures of the damselfly Heliocypha biforata. Yes, this is a damselfly species belonging to the family Chlorocyphidae, and it is also found in the same environment as Euphaea variegata species that I shared a few days ago.

Heliocypha biforata is also commonly known as the magenta-backed Jewel. This refers to the back of the thorax and the markings on the wings, which are red-purplish.

It has black thoracic sides with blue stripes and a black abdomen with blue markings at the base of the abdominal segments. Some damselflies have black and reddish legs, but I have also observed that some others have black and white legs. It could be that it is a sex marker between males and females.