The Odonata of Pohnpei, Eastern Caroline Islands, Micronesia

Dennis R. Paulsona, Donald W. Budenb

  1. Slater Museum of Natural History , University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, USA
  2. Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics , College of Micronesia-FSM, Kolonia

International Journal of Odonatology, Volume 6, Issue 1, Pages 39-64, 2003
https://doi.org/10.1080/13887890.2003.10510450
Published: 1 January 2003 (Received: 27 April 2002, Accepted: 19 June 2002)

Abstract

A collection of 448 Odonata specimens made on Pohnpei, Caroline Islands, Micronesia, in 2001–2002 allows a reassessment of the fauna of this small, isolated island. There are 15 species, including six species of the zygopteran genus Teinobasis, which apparently speciated in situ, an unusually great diversity for such a small island. One of these species was undescribed. A revised key to the Teinobasis of Pohnpei is included, the larvae of three species of Teinobasis are compared, and the females of T. aerides and Pacificothemis esakii are described for the first time. The three odonate species represented by adequate series, T. ariel, T.fortis, and Hemicordulia haluco, appear to increase in body size with elevation. The island still has all of its natural habitats, although native upland forests continue to decrease as more land is cleared for agriculture. All of the odonate species seem secure at this time, although T. nigrolutea appears to be less common now than in the past.

Keywords: Odonata, dragonfly, Micronesia, Caroline Islands, Pohnpei, biogeography, speciation, Pacificothemis, Teinobasis

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