Demography and territorial behavior of Hetaerina cruentata was studied along three lowland streams located at Norte de Santander department in the Colombian Andean region. Adult damselflies (N: 278) were individually marked, and using their recapture histories we estimated survival, longevity, sex ratio, age groups and population size at each location.
The behavior of Mesamphiagrion laterale (Selys, 1876) is described based upon 2430 hours of observation. A total of 2820 individuals were observed for 270 days from 2014 to 2015 using mark-recapture. Probabilities of resight, highest reproductive activity, time-perch and time of perch-temperature were statistically analyzed. Mesamphiagrion laterale is not a territorial species, the individuals perch…
Damselflies adapted to forest habitats are expected to be negatively affected by the disturbance of riparian forests, due to the change in insolation when trees are cleared. In this paper, we compare survivorship and behaviour of two populations of Heteragrion cooki by means of mark-recapture methods and focal observations of adults. We found similar densities…
Although the endemic damselfly, Platycnemis subdilatata Selys, 1849, is widespread in the Maghreb, many aspects of its reproductive behaviour, biology and ecology are still unstudied. One particular feature of this species is that its coloration pattern continues to change during maturation and afterwards, which makes it a good model for assessing age effects on behavioural…
Zygonyx torridus inhabits waterfalls, rapids and riffle sections. Males patrol over these sites. After copulation the partners perform an extensive search while flying in tandem over a wide range. Behavioural studies in Mauritius 1997 and 2014 showed that there is considerable plasticity in oviposition behaviour. Three main modes could be distinguished: (A) egg-laying in tandem…
Genetically determined color polymorphisms have a long history in the study of evolutionary change acting on populations. The Odonata exhibit relatively high levels of sex-specific color polymorphisms in mature adults. In Ischnura and Coenagrion, female-specific polymorphisms are known to be controlled by Mendelian genes. Nearly half of Enallagma species have polymorphic females, but the inheritance…
Polythorid damselflies are Neotropical stream dwellers, whose behavior has rarely been recorded. Here we describe the territorial and courtship behavior of Chalcopteryx scintillans McLachlan, an Amazonian damselfly with shiny copper-colored hind wings. Territorial behavior consists of aerial contests, when males engage in threat displays and mutual pursuits in ascending and rocking flights. During courtship, males…
Territorial behaviour and mate guarding are important components of mating systems in various insect groups, including the Odonata. This paper reports observations of male territorial behaviour associated with potential ovipositing sites, and postcopulatory, non-contact mate guarding in Petalura gigantea. This is the first unambiguous and detailed report of mate guarding in the Petaluridae. Additional observations…
Coenagrion mercuriale is a threatened damselfly in most parts of its geographic distribution. It is listed as endangered in North Africa, where no data on its biology or ecology are available. This study aims to illustrate the reproductive behaviour and habitat preferences of adults in a population located in north-east Algeria, representing the southern limit…
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…