Mating Season of Orange-striped Threadtail Damselfly (Prodasineura humeralis)
The sound of water flowing through the gaps between large and small rocks in Rayab Stream sounds so beautiful. You don't even need to listen to music because it's enough as a substitute for relaxing music.
I stopped on the edge of the Rayap Stream when the sun was directly overhead. But the canopy of trees protected me from direct sunlight.
I put my bag on a rock while removing some equipment. I started washing my face and wrists with water flowing from the mountains. The water was cold and so fresh. I remember it was the umpteenth time I had been walking around the Sidomulyo area, North Aceh.
After taking a short break, my eyes started looking for anything that could be captured along the river's flow. Between the rocks, I noticed something: two damselflies were spending their mating season, but they were warming up. That's the orange-striped threadtail (Prodasineura humeralis).
One damselfly was on top with its tail attached to the neck of the other. I suspect that is a female, with black and red compound eyes and black thorax with orange stripes. At the same time, the ones below have black, light blue, and red eyes, and the thorax is striped light blue, brown, and black. A female and a male have no difference in their wings and tails.
They are not the only ones who spend the mating season there. There are also other pairs of the same species perched on the leaves of ferns.
Several other females who do not yet have a partner are seen waiting for the male to come by perching on leaves and twigs. They patiently wait for their time to come.
At the same time, several other Odonata species also inhabit the Rayab stream environment. Yeah, their existence is crucial for maintaining the balance of the natural ecosystem.
These photos are my own, taken with POCO X3 NFC smartphone + external macro lens.