In the temperate zone, male perch height of co-occurring dragonfly species (Odonata: Libellulidae) often correlates with species body size. I tested for this relationship in a guild of tropical dragonflies at a wetland at La Selva Biological Station, Heredia, Costa Rica. Males of 12 species were observed perching in January–February 2016. Mean male perch height…

We revisit the hypothesis, first advanced in 1962, that, with regard to their means of thermoregulation and overt behaviour, two types of Odonata can be recognised: fliers, when active (during reproductive activity, primarily, or foraging) remain on the wing, whereas perchers, when similarly engaged, spend most of the time on a perch from which they…

For eleven species of sympatric libellulids, male mean mass was positively correlated with wing aspect ratio, wing loading, and mean perch height. We tested the hypotheses that perch height selection was governed by interspecific competition or biomechanical responses to increased wind speed at higher perches. Although larger odonates might prefer higher perches to offset their…

Ten common libellulid species perch along the shoreline of lakes and ponds in South Carolina, USA. We collected individuals at five ponds throughout summer 2005, weighed them in the field, and calculated wing loading (N·m2) and wing aspect ratios from digital photographs. We measured the perch-height preferences of these species in ‘low perch’ (10, 20,…

Herein I respond to a critique of my paper on wing positions in Zygoptera. The author of that critique suggested that most of the hypotheses presented in that paper were flawed and questioned some of the facts brought to bear on them. In addition, he presented his own ideas in support of hypotheses I had…

In a recent paper D.R. Paulson (2004; IJO 7: 505-515) presented five hypotheses concerning the way wings are held in the Zygoptera during perching. A critical examination suggests that most of them have substantial flaws that prevent their testing. Based on Bechly’s phylogeny (1998; ) I suggest that the wing perching mode in the Odonata…

Co-occurring odonate species often perch at different heights. We studied the effects of interspecific and intraspecific interactions on perch-height selection by Perithemis tenera, Pachydiplax longipennis, and Enallagma spp. by creating artificial perch stations and comparing perch selection when species perched alone or together. We also compared the frequency of perch-height use in the presence or…

Zygoptera show two perching modes, one with wings closed and one with wings open. These perching modes are distributed unequally through the suborder; most Zygoptera perch with closed wings, but species in 43 genera of eight families at least occasionally – in most cases usually – perch with open wings. Alternative hypotheses to explain this…