Companion for dragonfly lovers

New book by Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research details all 124 species in Singapore
Ben Nadarajan Straits Times 21 Aug 10;

THE 124 species of dragonflies recorded within Singapore is about half the total number of species in Malaysia.

A new book published by the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research in the National University of Singapore documents every one of the species here.

Called Dragonflies of Singapore (right), the book includes information and photographs of all the species, which can be used as a guidebook for those interested in these insects.

Dragonflies are among the most ancient of winged insects, dating back more than 250 million years.

Known as Odonata, meaning 'toothed jaw' in ancient Greek, there are now 5,700 species worldwide.

In Singapore, there have been at least seven new records of various species of dragonflies made in the last two years.

Some of the best habitats for watching dragonflies are at rainwater-filled low-lying areas such as Tuas and Marina East.

Many male dragonflies are very territorial, especially when it comes to breeding and mating.

They will buzz around the water surface, driving away intruders by sparring, flight contests and threat displays of bright colours on their abdomen or wings.

Such bouts can go on for more than half an hour before one side concedes defeat and flies off.

In Singapore, the first person to collect dragonflies scientifically was famous naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who collected 30 species back in 1854.

More recently, Professor D.H. Murphy, who came to Singapore in 1960, had a great interest in dragonflies and their larvae, publishing a paper on the biodiversity of the insects in the nature reserves here.

A considerable part of the dragonfly displays in the Raffles Museum was collected by Prof Murphy.

Dragonfly expert Albert Orr, who lectures at the Griffith University in Australia, describes dragonflies in his foreword for the book as being among the 'most beautiful of creatures'.

'In life, many display colours of stunning brilliance - some with eyes shimmering like opals,' he writes. 'Their skills of flight are unmatched for precision and agility.'

Singapore, Dr Orr says, is a good place to observe dragonflies because 'one does not have to wait for summer'.

'Whenever the sun shines, they are active, feeding, fighting, mating and laying eggs.'

One of the book's authors, Mr Tang Hung Bin, says that apart from being beautiful creatures, dragonflies also have a more practical function of eating mosquito larvae.

Mr Tang, who retired from his job as a teacher last year to dedicate his time to studying dragonflies, says: 'Dragonflies are lords of the air - the strongest and most agile fliers of the insects.'

The other two authors are dragonfly expert Matti Hamalainen from Finland's University of Helsinki and Ms Wang Luan Keng, an education and research officer at the Raffles Museum.

The book is available at the Raffles Museum and nature bookstore Nature's Niche for $22.