Sexual size dimorphism, mating system and seasonality of a Neotropical damselfly, Telebasis carmesina (Coenagrionidae)

Our understanding of mating systems is highly skewed toward temperate examples. This study investigated the mating system, sexual size dimorphism and seasonal variation in local distribution and abundance of male and female Telebasis carmesina, a common damselfly in Brazilian tropical savanna. In a natural reserve, daily census and behavioral observations were made throughout 1 year…

Seasonality of prey size selection in adult Sympetrum vicinum (Odonata: Libellulidae)

Sympetrum vicinum is a sit and wait predator, which takes off and pursues small flying insects during its long flying season (July to November). We investigated whether foraging individuals become less discriminating regarding prey size selection during the fall season because the changeable fall weather has an impact on the prey population. To investigate the…

Congruence of the composition of Odonata between dry and rainy seasons in the Maranhense Cerrado

In tropical streams, seasonality has a strong influence on heterogeneity, altering available resources and affecting the carrying of organisms, substrate and organic matter. This causes changes in the limnological variables, as well as in the species composition. The aim of our study was to evaluate the response of the congruence of the Odonata community in two seasons in streams of the transition between Cerrado and Caatinga.

Confirming the relationship between body size and perch height in tropical odonates (Odonata: Libellulidae): wet-season contrasts and experimental tests

In a previous study conducted during the dry season at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica, mean perch height of libellulid dragonfly species (Odonata: Libellulidae) correlated with male body size, and interactions between species suggested a size-dependent competitive hierarchy. Here, I report on a wet-season study that examined whether seasonal changes in community composition affect…

Population structure of Polythore procera at a Colombian stream (Odonata: Polythoridae)

We studied a population of Polythore procera along a stream in the Colombian eastern Andean foothills. Mark and recapture samples were made during January to April 2006, covering both dry and wet seasons. We determined population size, daily survival probability, and longevity during the entire period and compared them with precipitation data. Age and sex…

The dry season governs the reproduction of three pseudostigmatid zygopterans in Costa Rica (Odonata: Pseudostigmatidae)

The large Neotropical zygopterans Megaloprepus caerulatus, Mecistogaster linearis and M. ornata (Pesudostigmatidae) were surveyed during five years, and striking differences in their reproduction patterns were shown: (1) At two study sites in seasonal, tropical semi-dry forests in Pacific Costa Rica, adult M. ornata could be observed throughout the year, occasionally during the dry season up…

Notes on Trithemis bifida and T. donaldsoni (Odonata: Libellulidae)

Trithemis bifida is reported for the first time from East Africa. Previously there were only two Afrotropical records of this species: one male from Zambia and one male from the Ivory Coast. The male of T. bifida is described and compared with the closely related T. donaldsoni which is also found in East Africa. Taxonomically…

Additions to the knowledge of Sympetrum sinaiticum, Dumont (Odonata: Libellulidae)

New information shows that S. sinaiticum, is not divided into subspecies, as hitherto supposed. The subspecific name tarraconense, Jödicke, 1994 must be regarded as a junior synonym of sinaiticum., In contrast, the name arenicolor, Jödicke, 1994 denotes a taxon at full species rank, characterized by its larval and ligula morphology. This species is taxonomically identical…