Chlorocyphidae

Family Chlorocyphidae or Jewels

Aristocypha and Heliocypha can be separated from Rhinocypha by the enlarged mesothoracic triangle. The difference between Airstocypha and Heliocypha is vague, and these genera will be eventually combined. Paracypha was separated by venation details.

Aristocypha quadrimaculata

Selys 1853

Elevation 300 - 1500m

Abdomen length 19mm

A fairly common species in the hills on flowing streams. The one exception was one that I found on Phewa Taal, but it must have come from the jungle. Males have a pink triangle on the upper thorax and 'window panes' that form a unique pattern on the wings. Females are quite different and hard to tell from other related species, but they are usually nearby on shrubs while the males rest on stones. They are found from May to August. Distribution is in the Himalayan foothills from NW India, Nepal, NE India, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Thailand.

Male

Female

Aristocypha trifasciata syn Rhinocypha + bifasciata

Selys 1853

Elevation 600 to 1700m

Abdomen 22mm

A Himalayan species, ranging from Jammu-Kashmir to Bhutan and NE India. They are always found on streams with running water, and depending on the light you can see beautiful emerald or purple colors in the inner wings. There are usually two bands on the male's wings - the second band mid-wing usually develops later.  They are active later in the monsoon season from July to October, both males and females are present. The wings of the females are evenly tinted brown. DNA studies have shown that the Aristocypha/Heliocypha group is distinct from Rhinocypha, which is from New Guinea.

Male

Female

Heliocypha biforata
(Selys 1859)
Elevation 80 - 1000m
Abdomen 19-20mm

At CNP there is a small stream and a pond inside the Chitwan National Park buffer zone jungle. This species was found in the stream that was flowing through the jungle near the elephant center. It is the only sighting I have had of this species in Nepal, but it is common throughout Southeast Asia and Northeast India. The sighting was in April and there were a few females present but no photos were captured.

Paracypha unimaculata 

(Selys 1853)
Elevation 500-1800m
Abdomen Length 24mm

A delicate long-legged damselfly with wings longer than the body. It has a beautiful metallic green 'picture window' in the middle of the wing and there is a flash of emerald green when it flies. They are most often sitting on stones in the middle of the river. The females are a bit higher on vegetation or in the nearby bushes. Mating and ovipositing begin in Monsoon. This photo was taken on the way to Rani Mahal outside of Tansen. It was also on the river with Aristocypha quadrimaculata. This one is a Himalayan species found in NW India, Nepal, NE India, and Bhutan.

Male

Female

Libellago lineata

(Burmeister 1839)

Elevation 80-1000m

Abdomen length 14-16mm

Usually, found on flowing water, small to medium-sized rivers and streams. This one was on the Budhi Rapti River that feeds into the larger Rapti River which flows past Chitwan National Park and it was on the canal in the Bees Hajar Taal wetland, a Ramsar site. In Pokhara, it is found along the edges of Phewa Taal. The female is seen below resting on a stick with Trithemis festiva female.

Male

Female

Rani Mahal in Tansen