Understanding the seasonal regulation and life cycle patterns of Odonata is critical to identifying the factors that influence their voltinism. While the life history and seasonal regulation of Odonata, particularly gomphids, has been studied extensively, few studies have focused on North African gomphids.
The global population structure and dispersal patterns of Pantala flavescens (Fabricius, 1798) are evaluated using a geographically extensive mitochondrial DNA dataset, a more limited samples of nuclear markers, wing isotopic (δ²H) data and a literature review. No spatial or temporal haplotype structure was recovered between the samples.
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…
Information on the origin of distribution patterns shown by freshwater invertebrates in the Indo-Australian Archipelago is poor. Here we present a molecular based hypothesis of the phylogenetic relationships of Argiolestidae, a family of damselflies found throughout the tropical parts of the Eastern Hemisphere. We use this to address the following questions: (1) did Argiolestidae colonize…
By means of slow-motion film analysis we found new female refusal behaviour patterns against male harassment in a variety of Odonata species. Often, females could escape simply by flying faster than males. Due to the morphological preconditions, there were differences in the two suborders. In Anisoptera, several behavioural specialities were analysed: (a) females of Aeshna…
Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), measured as random deviations from bilateral symmetry, likely results from developmental disturbances by internal or environmental stresses. However, comparisons of FA in single damselfly species (Odonata: suborder Zygoptera) from stressed environments have often been inconclusive. We measured levels of FA among multiple species of damselflies from the same environment to determine the…
In high densities males of Calopteryx splendens showed alternative reproductive behaviour at the river Oker in northern Germany. One of several tactics was to pursue females. Pursuing flight was filmed in summer 2006 in slow motion. Frame by frame analysis showed that males fly in irregular flight patterns: they showed different lengths of wing beat…
The reproductive behaviour of Neurobasis kaupi was studied for the first time in Central and South Sulawesi. The species was recorded in a wide variety of clear and fast flowing creeks, streams and rivers, mostly in forested areas. The males were territorial and defended potential oviposition sites, a limited resource. Territory owners demonstrated their presence…
Communities have a nested-subset structure if the species found in species-poor assemblages are also found in progressively more species-rich assemblages. This nested-subset structure can be caused by differential colonization rates among species, differential extinction rates among species, or nested niche space. In this study, the assemblages of larval odonates in the Enoree River of South…
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…