In a field study carried out in 2011 and 2014 adult dragonflies were identified as a rapid and easy-to-use means of assessing habitat quality and biological integrity of Mediterranean streams and rivers in the province of Barcelona (Region Catalonia, Iberian Peninsula). The study included sampling sites from five different river catchments: Besòs, Foix, Llobregat, Ter…
Lestinogomphus silkeae sp. nov. from the northern Okavango Delta in Botswana, the Kavango River in northern Namibia and the middle Zambezi River in Zimbabwe is described and illustrated (holotype ♂: Botswana, Xaro Lodge, 09 vi 2000, dep. at ZMBH). The shape of the male appendages distinguishes this species from all others in the genus. The…
In species of similar shape and size, biometric analyses make it possible to establish differences. Within one species, biometrics can help researchers to detect differences between populations and analyze their adaptations to environmental conditions. Until now little was known about the biometrics of the Iberian populations of Boyeria irene (Odonata: Aeshnidae), a large species living mainly in southern Europe.
Dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) use both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the abundance and diversity of odonates should be good indicators of habitat integrity. To determine which environmental variables affect odonates, we sampled adult dragonflies three times at 12 sites in Pickens and Greenville Counties, SC, USA, in different habitats, at different spatial scales, across a…
We examined the diversity and potential drivers of dragonfly distribution in a biodiversity hotspot of Southern Africa (Eastern Highlands, Zimbabwe) by surveying 30 sites (13 lentic and 17 lotic habitats) located within this region. Additionally, we identified the anthropogenic factors that may threaten Odonata diversity and abundance. Our results revealed that 27 odonate species are…
Conversion of natural habitat into agricultural landscape has been identified as one of the major drivers of habitat loss. Human-modified ecosystems, such as agricultural land, have gained significant attention in terms of the conservation of their native biodiversity. We studied the effectiveness of organic agroecosystems in conserving odonate diversity by comparing organic terrace rice cultivation…
We investigated the odonates of Wadi Cherf, a tributary of Wadi Seybouse, and explored the main environmental factors that may be important drivers of the abundance and diversity of Odonata assemblages. PCA analyses demonstrated a significant altitudinal gradient associated with water flow, temperature, vegetation cover, substrate and adjacent land use. Notably, pollution was a dominant…
Regardless of the economic and social development that damming processes related to hydroelectric power plants bring to a region, they represent a wide range of disturbances to the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of rivers. We evaluated the effects of dams on Odonata communities from the southeastern region of Goiás, Brazil. Thirteen streams connected to…
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…
A redescription of both sexes of Erythrodiplax pallida (Odonata: Libellulidae) is provided based on specimens collected in shallow wetlands associated with flood plains from small streams to large rivers in Corrientes and Buenos Aires provinces, Argentina. The vesica spermalis morphology resembles those of the basalis and nigricans groups due to the presence of median and…