Wing shape patterns among urban, suburban, and rural populations of Ischnura elegans (Odonata: Coenagrionidae)

Dragonflies and damselflies (the Odonata) are among the most efficient flying insects. However, fragmentation of the landscape can increase distance between habitats and affect costs of dispersal, thus shaping phenotypic patterns of flight-related traits, such as wing shape, wing loading and wing size. Urban landscapes are highly fragmented, which limits dispersal among aquatic habitats. Hence,

Female color polymorphism of Ischnura capreolus Hagen, 1861 (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) with notes on behavior and ontogenetic color changes

Polymorphism in coenagrionids is widely known, mainly for Ischnura. Here, we present the case of I. capreolus, a Neotropical species of which, until now, little information concerning color polymorphism and ontogenetic color changes was known. We used a marking and recapture method to evidence ontogenetic coloration changes in females. We show that, in addition to…

A method for rearing a large number of damselflies (Ischnura elegans, Coenagrionide) in the laboratory

Dragonflies and damselflies are important study organisms in many areas of biology. Laboratory experiments with these insects have a great potential for answering evolutionary, ecological and physiological questions. Laboratory studies require insect rearing, because it can provide large sample sizes of specimens that are available throughout the year. These insects are reared under known conditions,…

Behaviour and body size: plasticity and genotypic diversity in larval Ischnura elegans as a response to predators (Odonata: Coenagrionidae)

Phenotypic plasticity represents an adaptive tool in organisms including odonates to cope with heterogeneous environmental conditions. However, while some odonate species can occupy various changing habitats, other species are adapted to a narrow range of environmental conditions. Commonly, behavioural modifications are applied to avoid detection and encounters with predators. But reduced behavioural activity results in…

An examination of competitive gametic isolation mechanisms between the damselflies Ischnura graellsii and I. elegans

Recent findings suggest that postmating prezygotic isolation (i.e. gametic barriers) could be an important factor preventing hybrid formation. Competitive gametic barriers emerge when a female is inseminated by a conspecific and a heterospecific male. We examined whether sperm proportions after double matings and copulation duration impede hybrid formation. For this, we used females of Ischnura…

Parthenogenetic Ischnura hastata revisited: present status and notes on population ecology and behaviour (Odonata: Coenagrionidae)

Populations of Ischnura hastata found in the Azores archipelago represent the only known example of parthenogenesis in the order Odonata. In this paper, we present results from fieldwork done on the islands of São Miguel, Pico, Santa Maria, and Graciosa, aimed at characterizing population ecology and habitat preferences of this species. Sampling of several ponds…