We explore the genetic diversity and phylogeography of the dragonflies Orthetrum cancellatum and O. coerulescens in Europe based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Orthetrum cancellatum has a clear division between a group comprising Maltese, Italian, and central and northern European populations…
Distribution, autecology, genetic characterization, and conservation of the Western Mediterranean endemic dragonfly Orthetrum nitidinerve (Selys, 1841): insights from Italy
Aquatic macroinvertebrates are a primary component of freshwater ecosystems and one of the most threatened by anthropogenic pressures. Among them, dragonflies are a charismatic group of growing scientific and social interest. However, little is known about the natural history of several species. One paradigmatic example is the declining Orthetrum nitidinerve, a Western Mediterranean endemic anisopteran….
Hand feeding: a method to increase the survival rate of Orthetrum coerulescens (Odonata: Libellulidae) in outdoor enclosures
Food intake rate and diet composition have a high impact on all organisms and affect individual fitness, fecundity and mortality. Specimens in enclosures have to be fed in an adequate way and with minimum stress for the specimens. Adult dragonflies are flying hunters. In enclosures, they are usually fed by adding different kinds of adult…
Clutch size and egg production in Orthetrum nitidinerve Selys, 1841 (Anisoptera: Libellulidae): effect of body size and age
Clutch size is an important fitness component often quantified artificially by inducing oviposition in libellulid females. Female behavior and egg production of the yellow-veined skimmer, Orthetrum nitidinerve, were studied in northeast Algeria during its reproductive season. Data on reproductive behavior and biology of this Mediterranean endemic species has not been published previously. Males guarded territories…
Habitat requirements of Orthetrum coerulescens and management of a secondary habitat in a highly man-modified landscape (Odonata: Libellulidae)
Due to the destruction of its primary habitats, the West Palaearctic libellulid Orthetrum coerulescens has suffered much decline in central Europe. However, at the regional scale it has survived in a variety of secondary habitat, such as draining ditches. In order to find adequate measures for its conservation and promotion, habitat use and habitat recognition…
The Orthetrum coerulescens complex in Bulgaria (Odonata: Libellulidae)
Although there are many records of Orthetrum coerulescens in Bulgaria, the presence of the nominotypical subspecies is doubtful. A critical analysis of all specimens available revealed that they belong either to O. c. anceps or to intermediate forms, but not to O. c. coerulescens. The latter taxon is therefore omitted from the Bulgarian species list,…
Orthetrum julia falsum Longfield 1955, new to the dragonfly fauna of Yemen and the Arabian Penunsula (Anisoptera: Libellulidae)
Orthetrum julia (Kirby 1900), subspecies falsum Longfield 1955, is reported for the first time from Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula (1 male, Wadi al-Ahjar, 15°27’53″N 43°52’32″E). The specimen is described and compared with specimens from Africa; taxonomically relevant structures are figured. The total number of species known from Yemen is raised to 37, from the…
Odonata community structure and patterns of land use in the Atewa Range Forest Reserve, Eastern Region (Ghana)
Recent studies have indicated that frequent anthropogenic disturbances in tropical developing countries are primary drivers of reduction in community diversity and local extinction of many arthropods, including dragonflies. We assessed the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on odonate assemblages across three different land use types, in a biodiverse nature reserve in Ghana. A total of 37…
Lifetime egg production of captive libellulids (Odonata)
The estimation of lifetime egg production (LEP) is a central question in ecology, since the number of eggs produced determines the potential size of the following generation. In this study, I tried to obtain a rough estimation of the LEPs in libellulids in outdoor cages. The main questions were: (1) does hand feeding influence females’…
Behaviour of dragonflies during the 2009 partial solar eclipse in Japan (Odonata: Libellulidae)
Behaviour of dragonflies was observed during the partial solar eclipse in Saitama, Japan, on 22 July 2009. The solar eclipse started at 09:54 h, reached its maximum magnitude of 74.9% at 11:12 h, and ended at 12:29 h. Light intensity at the peak of the eclipse was 1005 lx, a reduction by 28.2% of that…