Within wide geographical areas, Odonata populations can show biometric differences as a consequence of both biotic (e.g., predation, competition) and abiotic factors (mainly temperature). These differences can occur in the larval stage, although reliable characters are needed to detect differences.
Useful biometric variables in Iberian exuviae of Boyeria irene (Fonscolombe, 1838) (Odonata: Aeshnidae)
In species of similar shape and size, biometric analyses make it possible to establish differences. Within one species, biometrics can help researchers to detect differences between populations and analyze their adaptations to environmental conditions. Until now little was known about the biometrics of the Iberian populations of Boyeria irene (Odonata: Aeshnidae), a large species living mainly in southern Europe.
Dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) as indicators of habitat quality in Mediterranean streams and rivers in the province of Barcelona (Catalonia, Iberian Peninsula)
In a field study carried out in 2011 and 2014 adult dragonflies were identified as a rapid and easy-to-use means of assessing habitat quality and biological integrity of Mediterranean streams and rivers in the province of Barcelona (Region Catalonia, Iberian Peninsula). The study included sampling sites from five different river catchments: Besòs, Foix, Llobregat, Ter…
Spatial displacement of Odonata in south-west Siberia
A brief account is presented of mass dragonfly migrations observed previously in Russia and West Siberia in particular. A mass migration in Libellula quadrimaculata is described in detail. It occurred on 1 July 1981 in the south-western part of the West Siberian Plain in the valley of the Ishym River. From 1968 to 2008 we…
Burmagomphus asahinai sp. nov., a new species from Cambodia and Thailand, with a description of the male of B. gratiosus Chao, 1954
Burmagomphus asahinai sp. nov. (holotype ♂: Cambodia, Cardamom Mts., Koh Kong Province, Thma Bang District, 6 km SW of its centre, rapids at the Thma Bang River, 25 August 2011, RMNH) is described from Koh Kong Province of Cambodia and Nakhon Nayok, Chiang Mai and Parchuap Khiri Khan Provinces of Thailand and is compared with its…
Odonata of Tuva, Russia
The odonate fauna of Tuva in Siberia, Russia, is documented, based mainly on data from expeditions in 1990, 2000 and 2004, and examination of collections preserved in Novosibirsk. The checklist of Tuvinian Odonata presently includes 47 species. In the southern Ubsu-Nur depression 29 species were recorded (two just there); in the Central Tuvinian depression 34…
Implications of anthropogenic disturbance factors on the Odonata assemblage in a Mediterranean fluvial system
During a period of nine years, from 2000 to 2008, two consecutive studies—one focusing on observations of adult Odonata, the other on collection of larvae—were carried out in the basin of the Guadiamar River in the southwestern Iberian Peninsula. In addition to monitoring Odonata, several environmental variables were assessed, including an index based on macroinvertebrate…
A critical checklist of the Odonata of Portugal
The Odonata checklist of continental Portugal, Madeira and the Azores includes 65 species. Besides Sympetrum nigrifemur, an endemic of Madeira and the Canary Islands, and the unique population of the Nearctic Ischnura hastata in the Azores, the species composition reflects a higher proportion of western Mediterranean and Ethiopian elements than any other European country. An…
Critical species of Odonata in Turkey, Iran and the Caucasus
An overview is given of the present knowledge and current research on the Odonata fauna of Turkey, Iran, and the Caucasus. The occurrence of endemic taxa and of rare and possibly threatened species is discussed. The use of water from various aquatic habitats is reviewed in order to gain insight in existing and potential problems,…
Odonata from the Republic of Mongolia and from the Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia
Thirty-five dragonfly species are reported from Mongolia and Inner Mongolia. Three are first records. A non-parametric test is used to determine the total number of species to be expected. It suggests that the current number of 62 may be asymptotically complete, except for some specific zones like the Bulgan valley in the south-west, and the…