Daaman is a small village on the top of a ridge in the Makwanpur District of Nepal. It is about 77km from Kathmandu on the old Rajput or Tribhuvan Highway. The elevation is about 2322m. From Daaman, which also has a view tower, it is possible to see from Mt Everest to Dhaulagiri - on a clear day.
The pass Sim Bhanjyang at 2561m is a short drive from Daaman. On the pass, there are a few tea shops where buses and trucks stop for tea and other food items. The Sim Khola runs next to the road that goes over the pass. Previously it was a good site for Epiophlebia laidlawi larvae. A large group of larvae was identified from Sim Khola by Nesemann, et. al. 2011. At the time of their study in 2009, the Sim Khola was clean and running. After 2013 the stream next to the main road was dammed in two places changing the water flow and habitat that is needed for E. laidlawi. Then after the earthquake in 2015, the other section of Sim Khola above the pass was used to relocate earthquake-affected people. The last bit of a clean river was used for human needs and there was a huge loss of habitat when people moved to the site. A new investigation would be needed to determine if E. laidlawi still lives in the Sim Khola. After a recent visit, in 2018, I found the streams have no water in them - just pipes. No more larvae and no more anything!
A few perennial streams run down the slopes. These small streams are mostly blocked with water pipes that take water to people's homes and no longer run. On the KTM to Daaman road, there is one small stream that turns a grinding mill, it is on this stream where several interesting sightings were found, but now it also has a large water pipe. Water extraction is the biggest threat to the hill area odonates.
Zygoptera
Family Euphaeidae
Anisopleura comesHagen 1880
Elevation 500-2600m
There are three Anisopleura sp. on the south-westerly route out of the Valley. A. lestoides is the most common of the Anisopleura, then A. comes is more common than A. subplatystyla. They tend to share the same habitat but seem to differ in seasonal timing. A. comes is usually earlier in the season than its close relative A. subplatystyla. It is found all across North East India, and Nepal, and occurs in Punjab.
Anisopleura subplatystyla
Fraser 1927
Elevation 800-2000m
Known mostly from Northeast India, Meghalaya, and Shillong. It is not very common in Nepal so not many records exist. I have found it in four locations so far. These photos of a male and female are from a small roadside stream off the Daaman highway where a water mill is located. The distinguishing feature is the oval doughnut-shaped mark on the thorax dorsum.
Anisopleura lestoides
(Selys 1853)
Elevation 700 -2500m
This is a species that Fraser said was common in North East India and in Uttarakhand. It is found with A. subplatystyla and shares the same habitat. In Nepal, it is also common in mid-elevations around 1200 to 1800m. I have seen it at many locations in Nepal and always on small streams. It seems to be fairly common across localities and has a long presence from May to October.
Family Platycemididae
Calicnemia nipalicaKimmins 1958
Elevation 700-1200m
Only found in Nepal where it was first recorded from Phewa Taal. Since then it has been found in Godavari, on the road to Daman, and in Shiva Puri Nagarjun National Park. A very pretty damselfly that breeds on slow streams and seepages. Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list.
Calicnemia pulverulans
(Selys 1886)
Elevation 700-1500m
Northeast India and seen in Godavari species this one is powder blue. This one is fairly common in hill areas above 1500m especially if the habitat is shaded with a running stream. It was at the same location as the species above and is found in both Godavari and Pokhara. Mating was observed in July.
Calicnemia doonensis carminea
Lieftnick 1984
Elevation 700-1800m
Abdomen Length 34mm
Endemic - So far this subspecies is known only from Nepal. A complete description of the name is given on the Pokhara page. I have found it in three locations between 900m and 1500m on perennial streams and seepages. It was mating in July with plenty of males and females present. One male was found in May with very light colors.
Coeliccia renifera
(Selys 1886)
Elevation 800-1600m
Abdomen length 33-37mm
A Himalayan species C. renifera is found on small well-shaded streams. This one will tolerate some degradation as long as there is a vegetated stream nearby. The bright green spots on the dorsum of the thorax and the white anal appendages make it easy to spot.
Family Synlestidae
Megalestes major(Selys 1862)
Elevation 800-2400
Abdomen length 48-54mm
A Himalayan species from North India both east and west, Nepal and Bhutan. The beautiful emerald green color is not so easy to spot in dense and dark forests where it likes to hang from branches over streams. In June they emerge before the monsoon, and mating is in August.
Family Aeschnidae
Anax immaculifronsRambur 1842
Elevation 1200 - 2100m
Abdomen Length 52-55mm
Recently, in August, A. immaculifrons was seen off the road from Hetauda to Daman at a seasonal waterfall. There were two males there, one male was mimicking a mating female by dropping his abdomen into the water. It is a very pretty species to see. They were very busy looking for a female flying up and over the waterfall and downstream then back to the pool under the waterfall.
Sarasaeschna sp.nov.
Karube & Yeh, 2001
Elevation 2400m
I was looking for Epiophlebia laidlawi on Sim Bhanjang pass at about 2400m. It was early July and I hoped I wasn't too late for E. laidlawi. A good number of larvae were found in the stream some years back. Since that time the stream has been dammed and reduced to a dirty trickle. The possibility of finding larvae or adults in Sim Khola was remote. So I went over Sim Bhanjang pass to a feeder stream. Then I spotted this Aeschna type flying in the stream bed - not so fast but patrolling a particular area. I was able to get some photos but could not get a specimen. This area has since had serious habitat damage from a large number of earthquake victims being moved nearby. I hope to try again to find this one but habitat changes are fairly extreme from local refugees.
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