The larva of Papuagrion is described and illustrated for the first time based on two specimens collected near Goroka, Papua New Guinea. The larvae were identified by matching the mitochondrial marker COI with that of an adult specimen collected at the same locality. The larvae were found in the leaf axils of Pandanus trees which…
Although the endemic damselfly, Platycnemis subdilatata Selys, 1849, is widespread in the Maghreb, many aspects of its reproductive behaviour, biology and ecology are still unstudied. One particular feature of this species is that its coloration pattern continues to change during maturation and afterwards, which makes it a good model for assessing age effects on behavioural…
In the nineteenth century Edmond de Selys Longchamps assembled a collection consisting of watercolours, drawings and notes on Odonata. Most illustrations were based on specimens from his extensive odonate collection and were mainly executed by Selys himself and by Guillaume Severin. These illustrations and notes are presently housed in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural…
Euphaea opaca Selys, 1853 is an endemic damselfly to China, but little is known about its biology and ecology. In this study, we investigated the life history and secondary production of E. opaca in a third order subtropical stream of Guangdong, China. Larvae were collected monthly from October 2010 to September 2011 using a Surber…
Pseudagrion woodlarkensis sp. nov., a new damselfly species from Woodlark Island, Papua New Guinea, is described and male and female characters are illustrated. The new species differs from all regional congeners by having a predominantly yellow thorax with bold black stripes, and males can be clearly distinguished from all Papuan Pseudagrion species by the complex…
Dragonflies and damselflies are hosts to a variety of parasites and pathogens. However, very few studies have investigated which viruses infect dragonflies and damselflies. Here, based on next generation RNA sequencing of RNA from Leucorrhinia dubia (Libellulidae, Anisoptera) and Coenagrion puella (Coenagrionidae, Zygoptera) larvae, data on putative viruses present in odonates are reported. In both…
Polythorid damselflies are Neotropical stream dwellers, whose behavior has rarely been recorded. Here we describe the territorial and courtship behavior of Chalcopteryx scintillans McLachlan, an Amazonian damselfly with shiny copper-colored hind wings. Territorial behavior consists of aerial contests, when males engage in threat displays and mutual pursuits in ascending and rocking flights. During courtship, males…
Our goal was to investigate whether the loss of riparian forests alters the structure of assemblages and populations of dragonflies and damselflies. We tested the hypothesis that the composition of the odonate assemblages found upstream from dams are significantly different from those found downstream of these barriers. To test the hypothesis, we investigated stream sectors…
Three species of Phoenicagrion are known from the north-eastern Amazonian part of Peru: P. flammeum, P. paulsoni, and a third undescribed species. In 2009 and 2010 several specimens of this third species were collected in Loreto, making it possible to describe this species, here named Phoenicagrion trilobum (holotype ♂: Peru, Loreto department, Tahuayo River, 18 km E…
The damselfly species Paracercion melanotum has been found to be the most abundant species in damselfly larval communities on Okinawa-zima Island in southwest Japan. To clarify differential susceptibility to predation, a possible factor affecting relative population densities in larval communities, between Paracercion melanotum and a less common damselfly species, Ischnura senegalensis, laboratory experiments were conducted…