Macromiidae

Family Macromiidae or Cruisers

Epophthalmia frontalis

Selys 1871

Elevation 200-800m

Abdomen Length 51-53mm

This one is usually a blur in my photos but I was lucky to get a shot in fairly good focus. It is hard to find it sitting long enough for a photo. The name Pond Cruiser fits as it is rarely still. I find it all around Phewa Taal but have yet to see it on the other smaller lakes nearby. It is found in India, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, and possibly Myanmar.

Macromia flavocolorata

Fraser 1922

Elevation 200-800m

Abdomen Length 44-47mm

I saw this one by accident as I was leaving the small forested area across Phewa Taal. A. Macromia sp. had been attacked by a Robber Fly and the fly was zigzagging through the air as it tried to carry the larger Macromia - hard to see in the photo below. This was at the end of May 2017. It seems to be widely distributed regionally from the Western Ghats, across the Himalayan foothills to Laos and Thailand.  

Macromia moorei

Selys 1874

Elevation 700 to 1900m

Abdomen Length 48-52mm

As is true of most Macromia sp, the noticeable features are the emerald green eyes and on closer inspection the laterally flattened appearance of the body. They are patrollers moving up and down streams or if luckily found perching pendant-like from tree branches. Found from June through September. Distribution is along the NE Himalayas in Nepal and India.

Male

Female