The Afrotropical ‘neodythemistine’ genera are an example of venation-biased classification in Odonata. This example is used to argue the bankruptcy of some traditional classifications in the order, particularly in the Libellulidae, and the need to apply alternative characters to define genera. Two groups of Afrotropical ‘neodythemistines’ are identified by male and female genitalia, supported by…
An overview is given of the present knowledge and current research on the Odonata fauna of Turkey, Iran, and the Caucasus. The occurrence of endemic taxa and of rare and possibly threatened species is discussed. The use of water from various aquatic habitats is reviewed in order to gain insight in existing and potential problems,…
A detailed description of the final stadium of Somatochlora hineana, with brief notes on the penultimate stadium, is presented. An illustration of the entire larva and separate line drawings of the labium and dorsal and lateral views of the abdomen are also included. The habitat of the larva is discussed briefly. Combinations of diagnostic characters…
Coryphaeschna huaorania sp. n. (holotype ♂ Ecuador, Morona Santiago Prov., pond 5 km N of Mendez jet., 6 Nov 1997; allotype ♀ same data; both to be deposited in FSCA, Gainesville, FL, USA) is described and compared with C. amazonica, C. apeora and C. perrensi. The new species can be recognized by having 3 transverse…
Macrothemis fallax spec., nov is described and figured from males collected in Belize and central Panama. It is apparently closely related to the widespread species, M. pseudimitans Calvert, 1898, with which it has hitherto been confused. These two species differ in shape of the cerci and epiproct, metafemoral armature, and thoracic and tibial coloration. A…
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.
A two-variable analysis of male and female Cordulegaster boltonii larvae (head width and hindwing sheath length) in specimens from five Iberian populations was carried out with the objective of ascertaining whether these traits differ between populations.
Disjunct biogeographic patterns of similar species remain enigmatic within evolutionary biology. Disparate distributions typically reflect species responses to major historical events including past climate change, tectonics, dispersal, and local extinction.
The Levant is a hot spot of biodiversity, even for Odonata. Approximately 90 Odonata species were recorded for the Levant and 48 from Lebanon. Lebanon, as a central part of the Levant, was visited in 2022 and 2023 for searching dragonflies.
We analysed COI and ITS sequences from a total of 69 European Pyrrhosoma nymphula (Sulzer, 1776) and three P. elisabethae Schmidt, 1948 to explore species boundaries and phylogeographic patterns in their Western Palearctic distributions.