Globally, freshwater ecosystems and the organisms that depend on them are at risk. Dragonflies and damselflies (collectively, “odonates”) have a history of being used as bioindicators of freshwater habitat quality due to their wide range in environmental sensitivities across species and because they are relatively accessible.
Taxonomic, morphological and distributional data on three species of the rare South American corduliid genus Lauromacromia Geijskes, 1970 are updated based on specimens collected recently and old specimens deposited in natural history collections. The female of the poorly known Lauromacromia luismoojeni (Santos, 1967), an endemic species from the Brazilian Cerrado, is illustrated, described and diagnosed…
Macromidia donaldi pethiyagodai subsp. nov. (holotype ♂: Sri Lanka, Ratnapura District, near Kudawe, 6.26°N, 80.25°E, 03 July 2007; paratype ♀, same location, 17 April 2008, to be deposited in the Sri Lanka National Museum, Colombo) is described and figured. Its phenotype differs from that of M. d. donaldi from India. This is the first record…
A comparative study of female external genitalia was carried out in representatives of three dragonfly families that lay eggs exophytically, with special emphasis placed on skeletal musculature and sensilla. Female external genitalia are characteristically represented by the vulvar lamina and rudiments on the 9th sternum. In a gomphid, Gomphus vulgatissimus, and a corduliid, Cordulia aenea,…
It is expected that climate change will have a great impact on many species and habitats. This will be greater if populations are found at the edge of their range or are isolated, and could lead to regional extinction. Here we investigate the possible impact on two boreo-alpine dragonfly species, Somatochlora alpestris and S. arctica,…
In a heterogeneous environment, males of Somatochlora flavomaculata regularly occupy site-fixed locations away from water, adjacent to vertical landscape elements, and to a lesser extent, also at water, i.e. at oviposition sites. Territories both over land and over water are typically patrolled by continuous site-fixed flights. These places serve as rendezvous sites where copulation is…
Male, female and larva of Neocordulia caudacuta sp. nov. (holotype: Río Castaño, Aragua State, Venezuela; 21 vi 2007; deposited in MIZA) are described and illustrated. The new species belongs in the subgenus Mesocordulia. Male N. caudacuta differs from N. batest in details of hamule and penis, and in possessing a sharp, erect dorsomedian spine on…
The last instar larva of Somatochlora borisi is described and illustrated from a set of exuviae. It is compared to that of S. metallica meridionalis, which is morphologically close and syntopic. A key is provided which allows the determination of the exuviae of all West Palaearctic Cordulia and Somatochlora spp.
Idomacromia jillianae sp. nov. (holotype ♀: Uganda, Kabale District, Ruhija, 1°02′59″S, 29°45′29″E, 2,100 m a.s.l., 24 v 2003) is described on the basis of two females from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, and compared with the known species of this elusive genus.
The morphology of the hitherto unknown female of Somatochlora borisi is described and illustrated basing upon eight adults from Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. A key is provided which allows the determination of the females of all West Palaearctic Cordulia and Somatochlora spp. A list of the presently known localities and a distribution map show the…