photography - rocksea and sarah

striped panchax

Posted by rocksea on 19 Oct 2011 | Category: photography

The striped panchax has always fascinated me with its iridescent white spot on top of its head. It not only has the ability to flaunt it like a princess with its ornament, it can also hide the spot to avoid attention. The tail, with orange lines and dark spots, add to its beauty.

striped panchax

The striped panchax and its variants are found in the streams, rivers, paddy fields, throughout the Western Ghats. This fish lives just by the water surface, in look out for the aquatic and terrestrial insects and larvae, which consists a significant part of its diet. It is possible that it acts as a natural control of mosquitoes, and mosquito-borne diseases. In its natural habitat, it looks like a dull fish as you see it from the top. It is only when you see it from the sides, in clear water, that sparkling colors come out.
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Tags: aplocheilus lineatus, fish, fishpond, freshwater, freshwater fish, insect, insect larvae, killie, lineatus, meenachil river, mosquitoes, panchax, peninsular india, predator, stream, striped panchax

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pied paddy skimmer

Posted by rocksea on 08 Sep 2011 | Category: photography, prakriti

The pied paddy skimmers, with their white-banded black coloured wings, are one of my favorite dragonflies. They bring back all the nostalgic childhood days, as I remember them from the time since when I was a kid – when I used to play out in the fields.

pied paddy skimmer, neurothemis tullia on a water lily

The pied colors and the habitat give them the name pied paddy skimmer. It is the males which have the black colored wings as above, while the females have golden yellow wings with dark spots/tips. These paddy skimmers are often found around ponds, fields, and all kind of pools of water. Their flight is also conspicuous, undulating and floating in the air, much like a butterfly.
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Tags: black velvet wing, butterfly, dragonfly, drury, fish pond, insect, larvae, libellulidae, monsoon, neurothemis tullia, odonata, onam, pied paddy skimmer, rain, skimmer, summer monsoon