The Odonata fauna of Papua New Guinea is species-rich, but human population growth and resulting modification of primary rainforests may lead to a loss of valuable habitat and species diversity. In this study, I compared the odonate assemblages of a natural tropical rainforest and a modified forest in order to assess the loss that could…
Quantitative data are essential for many aspects of ecological research. Several methods exist to quantify odonate abundance, but complications may arise when abundances in different habitats need to be compared. In this study, I explored a technique that can overcome the variable detectability of odonates in habitats with different visibility. Distance sampling is briefly introduced…
I sampled odonates in pristine lower montane rainforest in Papua New Guinea over several months, recording habitat characteristics for all encounters with adult odonates. Using ordination techniques such as cluster analysis and canonical correspondence analysis I then classified the odonate fauna into assemblages correlated with environmental factors. Within the 2.5 km2 study area I found…
Notogomphus maathaiae sp. nov. (holotype ♂: Kenya, Western Province, Mt Elgon District, Mt Elgon, Rongai River, 2,361 m a.s.l., 1°02′19.4″N, 34°45′20.5″E, 06 vi 2000) is described from a series of 8 males and 3 females collected at montane forest streams in Kenya. The status and biogeography of this and other montane species are discussed.
The larva of Mecistogaster linearis is described and illustrated from specimens collected within or near the Río Dantas Wildlife Refuge at the north-western border of the Barbilla National Park on the Costa Rican Caribbean slope. Characters of F-0 larvae permit easy separation from Megaloprepus caerulatus, a species coexisting with M. linearis. Diagnostic characters include overall…
We compared the larval abundance of Mecistogaster modesta between bromeliads at ground level and canopy level in a primary tropical wet forest. Zygopteran abundance correlated strongly with bromeliad diameter at both levels. Although the per-bromeliad zygopteran abundance did not differ between vertical levels, M. modesta showed a strong vertical distribution in abundance owing to the…
A survey of 32 lakes for dragonfly larvae, aquatic plants and forestry regime in the surrounding boreal forests was performed. The highest diversity was found in undisturbed forests. Lakes rich in aquatic plants were shown also to be rich in dragonflies. A rich plant community is proposed to provide a wider range of microhabitats thereby…
Globally, freshwater ecosystems and the organisms that depend on them are at risk. Dragonflies and damselflies (collectively, “odonates”) have a history of being used as bioindicators of freshwater habitat quality due to their wide range in environmental sensitivities across species and because they are relatively accessible.
The final instar of Bayadera strigata Davies & Yang, 1996, from Yunnan Province, China, is described and illustrated for the first time. This study confirms several characters as
being typical of, or unique to, the genus Bayadera and discusses them in comparison to other genera.
The taxonomic status of the Central Asian damselfly Calopteryx samarcandica was determined on the basis of molecular and phenotypic data from the Kugitang Mountains, SE Uzbekistan.