The Bekko Tombo, Libellula angelina Selys, 1883 (Odonata: Libellulidae), is listed as an endangered species in South Korea, and is classified as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). An assessment of the genetic diversity and population relationships of the species by molecular markers can provide the information necessary…
Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers for a rare dragonfly, Cordulegaster sarracenia (Odonata: Cordulegastridae), with notes on population structure and genetic diversity
We isolated and characterized a total of 13 microsatellite loci from Cordulegaster sarracenia (Odonata: Cordulegastridae). Loci were screened in 24 individuals from Louisiana and Texas. Within C. sarracenia, the number of alleles per locus ranged from 0 to 5, and observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.000 to 0.556 and 0.000 to 0.613, respectively. Overall
Genetic consequences of range expansions along several fronts in Crocothemis erythraea
Global warming has altered the ranges of many species, especially those of insects and other ectotherms that are particularly susceptible to rising temperatures. Four decades ago, the dragonfly Crocothemis erythraea began to demonstrate northern range expansion in Germany, as well as in Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK. The rapid range expansion of C….
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…
A tale of two Skimmers: complex relationships between DNA barcodes, distributions and taxonomy in European Orthetrum cancellatum and O. coerulescens
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…
Development of SSR markers based on the head transcriptome of Pantala flavescens (Fabricius, 1798) (Odonata: Libellulidae)
Pantala flavescens (Fabricius, 1798) is one of the most common species of dragonflies and has been found throughout from tropic to temperate zones worldwide. In this study, RNA-seq of P. flavescens was carried out through Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology. Approximately 37,868 unigenes and 47,188 transcripts were obtained. The average length of the assembled unigenes was…
Constant and shifting photoperiods as seasonal cues during larval development of the univoltine damselfly Lestes sponsa (Odonata: Lestidae)
Larvae were reared at 21.5°C from eggs from southernmost Sweden, and fed ad libitum to emergence in four different photoperiodic treatments, intended to represent increasing levels of time stress: constant LD 16:8, corresponding to late April (or August) conditions, a shift after about two weeks from LD 16:8 to 19.5:4.5, coarsely simulating late spring, constant…
New EPIC nuclear DNA sequence markers to improve the resolution of phylogeographic studies of coenagrionids and other odonates
While phylogeographic data provide valuable information to inform conservation plans, there are comparatively few Odonata phylogeographic studies. This lack of research is partially due to a lack of independent DNA markers with appropriate levels of polymorphism that PCR-amplify in a range of species. We followed an exon-primed, intron-crossing (EPIC) PCR strategy to develop five new,…
Odonata (Insecta) communities along an elevational gradient in the Atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil, with the description of the female of Heteragrion mantiqueirae Machado, 2006
Despite the important role of the order Odonata in ecosystems, there is a lack of information about dragonfly communities in several regions, high elevation sites, and environmentally protected areas in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Our objective was to assess the abundance and richness of dragonfly and damselfly communities along an elevational gradient in the Atlantic Forest, southeastern Brazil.
Larval development and behavior of Rhionaeschna marchali Rambur (Anisoptera: Aeshnidae) under captivity conditions
Very little is known about the biology of larval odonates from the Neotropical region, and in particular there are no data on behavioral changes during ontogeny and growth ratios, though both are crucial to understanding the dynamics of Odonata communities. Here we study growth ratio, development patterns and behavior of Rhionaeschna marchali larvae. We characterized…