Assessment of conservation status is a necessary step before management plans can be formulated. Historically such assessments have a strong bias toward vertebrates, particularly endothermic terrestrial vertebrates (i.e. birds and mammals). Invertebrates, by contrast, tend to be ignored, and many insect groups, despite being species rich and reasonably well studied, such as the Odonata (damselflies…
The flights of male odonates encountering conspecifics at their reproduction sites were investigated by means of slow-motion films. We recorded large and generally consistent differences between species with clear wings (SCLW) and species with coloured wings (SCOW). SCLW mostly fought having physical contact and moved their wings without pauses in wing beats (hereafter designated wing…
Gomphomacromia mexicana is shown to be a junior synonym of G. chilensis based on a comparison of the holotype male with the original description of G. chilensis and specimens identified as that species from Chile. Examination of a large series of specimens from central and southern Chile and Argentina identified both as G. paradoxa and…
Malaysia, Brunei and the Indonesian archipelago comprise a total land area of ca 1.84 million km2 including ca 13,000 islands, lying entirely within the tropics. The region is bisected by Wallace’s line and supports a rich Oriental fauna to the west (Sundaland) and mainly Australian elements to the east. Taxonomic studies throughout the region were…
Altogether 116 odonate species are known from Sri Lanka. The level of endemism is high -53 taxa or 45.7% are confined to the island. The Chlorocyphidae, Euphaeidae, Protoneuridae, Platystictidae, Gomphidae and Corduliidae consist of almost exclusively endemic taxa. The odonate fauna of Sri Lanka is still insufficiently known. Knowledge on distribution, biology and taxonomy of…
This synopsis of adult Triacanthagyna includes the revalidation of two species thought to be synonyms (T. nympha and T. obscuripennis), the description of a new species (T. williamsoni; type locality: Peru, Tingo María), keys to both sexes, illustrations of diagnostic characters, and distribution maps of all species. A phylogenetic assessment of the nine species is…
A collection of 448 Odonata specimens made on Pohnpei, Caroline Islands, Micronesia, in 2001–2002 allows a reassessment of the fauna of this small, isolated island. There are 15 species, including six species of the zygopteran genus Teinobasis, which apparently speciated in situ, an unusually great diversity for such a small island. One of these species…