Environmental effects on wing shape and wing size of Argia sedula (Odonata: Coenagrionidae)

Well-adapted flight morphology must allow for efficient behavioral activities. Wing shape has been shown in a variety of species to be influenced by environmental conditions. Analysis of wing shape using geometric morphometrics provides a visualization of wing shape variations. This study examined the effects of varied environments on wing shape and wing size of the…

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,…

How to enter a desert—patterns of Odonata colonisation of arid Namibia

With a total of 75 species the odonate diversity in the Namibian desert is surprisingly high. Based on their distribution characteristics, invasion patterns, and breeding success, there are six well-defined categories of Odonata: widespread species – (1) permanently living in the desert, and desert biased, (2) permanently living in the desert, but not desert-biased; (3)…

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 Odonata of Numidia, Northeaster Algeria Part II Seasonal ecology

This paper, a companion to Part I which treated status and distribution of Numidian Odonata, summarizes current knowledge of their seasonal ecology and identifies areas where promising research avenues exist. Annual patterns of adult occurrence and reproductive activity are used to infer life cycles, with particular reference to strategies that enable species to bridge the…