Comparing and evaluating the dragonfly fauna (Odonata) of regulated and rehabilitated stretches of the fourth order metarhithron Gurtenbach (Upper Austria)

Mitigation measures carried out at the regulated metarhithron Gurtenbach in Upper Austria were evaluated by a survey of the dragonfly fauna. The assessment method developed in this study was based on the longitudinal distribution of dragonflies along riverine biocoenotic regions (the “Rhithron-Potamon-Concept” explains changes in species composition along a river’s length). Numerically expressed habitat preferences…

The importance of tropical mountain forests for the conservation of dragonfly biodiversity: A case from the Colombian Western Andes

Forests have been widely recognized as key habitats for odonate (dragonflies and damselflies) biodiversity, but the importance of forests for holding odonate biodiversity remains understudied in tropical mountains, one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Here we describe the odonate assemblage composition along the elevation gradient in the Tatamá Mountains (Colombian Cordillera Occidental).

Useful biometric variables in Iberian exuviae of Boyeria irene (Fonscolombe, 1838) (Odonata: Aeshnidae)

In species of similar shape and size, biometric analyses make it possible to establish differences. Within one species, biometrics can help researchers to detect differences between populations and analyze their adaptations to environmental conditions. Until now little was known about the biometrics of the Iberian populations of Boyeria irene (Odonata: Aeshnidae), a large species living mainly in southern Europe.

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.

Dragonfly (Odonata) community structure in the Eastern Highlands Biodiversity Hotspot of Zimbabwe: potential threats of land use changes on freshwater invertebrates

We examined the diversity and potential drivers of dragonfly distribution in a biodiversity hotspot of Southern Africa (Eastern Highlands, Zimbabwe) by surveying 30 sites (13 lentic and 17 lotic habitats) located within this region. Additionally, we identified the anthropogenic factors that may threaten Odonata diversity and abundance. Our results revealed that 27 odonate species are…

Guide to the Odonata of central Ñeembucú, Paraguay: indicator species of wetland habitats

The department of Ñeembucú, in south-western Paraguay, is home to the virtually unexplored Ñeembucú Wetlands, the second largest wetland system in the country, representing a major gap in biodiversity knowledge. As organisms ubiquitous with wetlands, the Odonata, or dragonflies (Anisoptera) and damselflies (Zygoptera), have the potential to be effective indicators of wetland habitats in the…