During a period of nine years, from 2000 to 2008, two consecutive studies—one focusing on observations of adult Odonata, the other on collection of larvae—were carried out in the basin of the Guadiamar River in the southwestern Iberian Peninsula. In addition to monitoring Odonata, several environmental variables were assessed, including an index based on macroinvertebrate…
The aim of the study was to determine oviposition site selection in the endangered damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale in its UK stronghold and to determine hatching success of eggs. This was achieved by watching the behaviour of marked pairs from the onset of copulation to the end of oviposition and recording the number and duration of…
In this study we use high resolution SEM to describe the diversity of wax crystals and their distribution on different morphological structures in male individuals of Calopteryx splendens. The entire cuticle surface of this damselfly, with the exception of ommatidia and ocelli, is covered with crystalline wax in dimensions from submicron to micron range. It…
All female Odonata have been assumed to produce oocytes continuously during their mature life span. However, a recent study of ovariole orientation and development led to the suggestion that Libellulidae are divided into two groups of species, one with continuous, the other with stepwise oocyte production. To find more evidence of this division, we compared…
Size and mass are often uniformly related within individuals and populations, but the relationship may vary in time or space. I asked whether isolated adult dragonfly populations within the same environmental context (climate, physiography, ecoregion) differ in both size and mature mass, and whether earlier emerging dragonflies are both larger and heavier on average. Differences…
Austroaeschna ingrid, a new telephlebiid from the Grampians in Victoria, Australia, is described (holotype: McKenzie Falls, 21-23 January 2008, to be deposited in Museum of Victoria, Melbourne). This species is most similar to A. Christine, A. multipunctata and A. obscura but may be distinguished by the length and slenderness of the male anal appendages, particularly…
It has been shown that life history, behavioural as well as morphological traits vary with the habitats occupied by odonate larvae. Here we ask the following questions: (1) Are the morphological traits, which are associated with perception and foraging, related to the larval habitat? (2) Do these traits influence foraging success and growth rate? We…
Extensive surveys for odonates were completed in protected areas throughout Guangdong Province, south China during the period 1997-2005. Previously unreported data from these surveys is presented here and, together with published data, is used to catalogue the zygopteran fauna of Guangdong. Checklists are provided for the Zygoptera of Guangdong, Macau and Hong Kong. Sinosticta debra…
The large Neotropical zygopterans Megaloprepus caerulatus, Mecistogaster linearis and M. ornata (Pesudostigmatidae) were surveyed during five years, and striking differences in their reproduction patterns were shown: (1) At two study sites in seasonal, tropical semi-dry forests in Pacific Costa Rica, adult M. ornata could be observed throughout the year, occasionally during the dry season up…
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…