Habitat requirements of Orthetrum coerulescens and management of a secondary habitat in a highly man-modified landscape (Odonata: Libellulidae)

Due to the destruction of its primary habitats, the West Palaearctic libellulid Orthetrum coerulescens has suffered much decline in central Europe. However, at the regional scale it has survived in a variety of secondary habitat, such as draining ditches. In order to find adequate measures for its conservation and promotion, habitat use and habitat recognition…

Habitat associations of an Odonata community in a lower montane rainforest in Papua New Guinea

I sampled odonates in pristine lower montane rainforest in Papua New Guinea over several months, recording habitat characteristics for all encounters with adult odonates. Using ordination techniques such as cluster analysis and canonical correspondence analysis I then classified the odonate fauna into assemblages correlated with environmental factors. Within the 2.5 km2 study area I found…

Critical species of Odonata in China

The state of knowledge of China’s Odonata is very much incomplete with many species awaiting description, especially from tropical and subtropical areas. A brief account is given of new odonate species described from China, including Taiwan, between 2000 and 2003. Information on identification guides, faunal lists and current studies, is provided. Species of Odonata, categorised…

Critical species of Odonata in Europe

The status of the odonate fauna of Europe is fairly well known, but the current IUCN Red List presents only six species out of ca 130, two of which are actually out of danger today. In this paper we propose a tentative list of 22 possibly declining or threatened species in the region. For the…

Critical species of Odonata in Turkey, Iran and the Caucasus

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,…

Critical species of Odonata in Japan

Japan is a small country but ranges from the subtropical to the subarctic zone. Every year during spring to autumn, many typhoons bring tropical taxa, which occasionally establish in Japan. Up to now, 215 odonate taxa have been recorded, 34 of which are regarded as critical species. Intensive research on Odonata – supported by identification…

Critical species of Odonata in Thailand and Indochina

The report provides a summary of our present knowledge of the odonate diversity (over 500 species) in the region and some general data on the habitat conservation in different countries. Thailand has the most diverse and best known odonate fauna, but knowledge of the Laotian and Vietnamese fauna has increased rapidly over the last 10…

Odonata fauna of Sri Lanka: research state and threat status

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…