Lestidae is a heterogeneous family with more than 150 species worldwide. There are many debates concerning its resolution. One of them is whether the genus Chalcolestes should be recognized as a genus or considered as a synonym of Lestes. We compared male characteristics of eight Hungarian species of three genera (Lestes, Chalcolestes and Sympecma) of…
In a previous study conducted during the dry season at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica, mean perch height of libellulid dragonfly species (Odonata: Libellulidae) correlated with male body size, and interactions between species suggested a size-dependent competitive hierarchy. Here, I report on a wet-season study that examined whether seasonal changes in community composition affect…
We isolated and characterized a total of 13 microsatellite loci from Cordulegaster sarracenia (Odonata: Cordulegastridae). Loci were screened in 24 individuals from Louisiana and Texas. Within C. sarracenia, the number of alleles per locus ranged from 0 to 5, and observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.000 to 0.556 and 0.000 to 0.613, respectively. Overall
The larva of Erythrodiplax media is described and illustrated based on two exuviae of reared larvae and one final stadium larva collected in Xangri-lá, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The larva of E. media can be distinguished from other species of Erythrodiplax by the presence of lateral spines on S8 and S9, the…
Indocypha cyanicauda Zhang & Hämäläinen, spec. nov. (holotype ♂ from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China; deposited at the Kunming Natural History Museum of Zoology) is described and illustrated from both sexes and compared with its congener I. vittata. Brief notes on the ecology and behaviour of the new species are provided.
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…
Polymorphism in coenagrionids is widely known, mainly for Ischnura. Here, we present the case of I. capreolus, a Neotropical species of which, until now, little information concerning color polymorphism and ontogenetic color changes was known. We used a marking and recapture method to evidence ontogenetic coloration changes in females. We show that, in addition to…
In many species of damselflies, sexual conflict in the form of male harassment is thought to explain the widespread existence of female-limited color polymorphisms. With a few exceptions, the majority of investigations into these mating systems have assumed that male damselflies primarily use visual cues to detect and recognize their mates. Recently, laboratory studies have…
The insects of the order Odonata have an aquatic larval stage and land-dwelling adults. These insects play an important role in aquatic ecosystems and are excellent bioindicators. The present study was based on a scientometric analysis of the research available on the Odonata, which aimed to identify the principal trends and gaps in the database…
Although a full life cycle approach is optimally needed to make conservation decisions, the egg stage is often neglected for insect species of special conservation interest. Water management and related abiotic factors are relevant factors to consider in aquatic species. Lestes macrostigma is a threatened damselfly restricted to temporary brackish waters. Here we provide detailed…