Volume 18, 2015
Identification of viruses associated with larvae of the dragonfly Leucorrhinia dubia, and damselfly Coenagrion puella from RNA sequencing data
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…
Alternative oviposition tactics in Zygonyx torridus (Kirby) (Odonata: Libellulidae): modes and sequential flexibility
Zygonyx torridus inhabits waterfalls, rapids and riffle sections. Males patrol over these sites. After copulation the partners perform an extensive search while flying in tandem over a wide range. Behavioural studies in Mauritius 1997 and 2014 showed that there is considerable plasticity in oviposition behaviour. Three main modes could be distinguished: (A) egg-laying in tandem…
Odonates in (slow) motion: a tribute to Georg Rüppell
Odonates in (slow) motion: a tribute to Georg Rüppell Dagmar Hilfert-Rüppella , Andreas Martensb , Frank Suhlingc Institut für Fachdidaktik der Naturwissenschaften, Abteilung Biologie und Biologiedidaktik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany University of Education Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany Institut für Geoökologie, Division Landscape Ecology and Environmental System Analysis, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany International Journal of (more…)
Dorsolateral cuticular outgrowths in second stadium larvae of Gomphus flavipes (Odonata: Gomphidae)
Second and third stadium larvae of Gomphus flavipes have dorsolateral cuticular outgrowths in the form of small basal tubercles bearing fan-shaped setae. These sensilla are aligned in two rows on each side of the thorax and abdomen. European species of Gomphus, Onychogomphus and Ophiogomphus that we examined lack these structures, having instead, at most, short…
High frequency and counterstroking: Calopteryx splendens female threatening flight
A hitherto unknown flight pattern of female Calopteryx splendens is described. On a day with heavy winds, when no damselfly could fly in open space of the river, I observed and filmed four to six females foraging in a small bay sheltered by bank vegetation. Females fought for perches and showed a threatening flight with…
Behaviour and body size: plasticity and genotypic diversity in larval Ischnura elegans as a response to predators (Odonata: Coenagrionidae)
Phenotypic plasticity represents an adaptive tool in organisms including odonates to cope with heterogeneous environmental conditions. However, while some odonate species can occupy various changing habitats, other species are adapted to a narrow range of environmental conditions. Commonly, behavioural modifications are applied to avoid detection and encounters with predators. But reduced behavioural activity results in…
Signalling with clear wings during territorial behaviour and courtship of Chlorocypha cancellata (Odonata, Chlorocyphidae)
The reproductive behaviour of the damselfly Chlorocypha cancellata (Chlorocyphidae) was filmed at 600 frames per second. Different flight styles including straight, forward flight, threat and courtship display were analysed with respect to changes in wing beat frequency and phase relationships of fore and hind wings. The analysis revealed significant differences in the flight style between…
Temperature response of growth of larval dragonflies – an overview
We review the knowledge about the thermal reaction norms of larval growth in Odonata with a focus on the temperature response function. We re-analyze literature data and present our own results on growth rates of larvae of 14 species of Libellulidae reared at different temperatures. Temperature response curves (TRC) were fitted in order to estimate…
Melanic individuals in color polymorphic Enallagma damselflies result from phenotypic, not genetic, variation
Genetically determined color polymorphisms have a long history in the study of evolutionary change acting on populations. The Odonata exhibit relatively high levels of sex-specific color polymorphisms in mature adults. In Ischnura and Coenagrion, female-specific polymorphisms are known to be controlled by Mendelian genes. Nearly half of Enallagma species have polymorphic females, but the inheritance…
Volume 18, Issue 1
Volume 18, Issue 2
Reported ovo-viviparity in Heliocypha perforata (Odonata: Chlorocyphidae) – reassessment of the evidence, based partly on examination of the female reproductive system and mature eggs
Heliocypha perforata (sensu lato) is a common stream-dwelling damselfly widespread in mainland tropical Asia. Recently a report has been published suggesting possible ovo-viviparity in this species, based on the interpretation of evidence from a short video sequence. This video is re-evaluated. The internal and external anatomy of the H. perforata female reproductive system, including mature…
Onychargia priydak sp. nov. (Odonata, Platycnemididae) from eastern Cambodia
Onychargia priydak sp. nov. is described from eastern Cambodia. The new species co-occurs with the widespread Onychargia atrocyana Selys, 1865 in the same region. Its males differ from those of O. atrocyana by a larger paraprocts, which are longer than the cerci, and a bright white pruinescence on thorax, femora and the two first abdominal segments….
First record of Ceriagrion fallax Ris (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) preying on small web-building spiders (Arachnida: Tetragnathidae)
In montane forest of south-western Yunnan, China, a female of Ceriagrion fallax was observed and photographed preying on a small web-building spider of the genus Leucauge. This is the first record of plucking an orb-weaver spider by a representative of the genus Ceriagrion. A brief discussion on the evolution of spider feeding behaviour in odonates…
Local extinctions and range contraction of the endangered Coenagrion mercuriale in North Africa
Freshwater biodiversity is currently threatened worldwide. In North Africa, 24.4% of Odonata are regionally threatened with extinction. In this region, freshwater resources are particularly scarce and an increasing shortage of water is expected. To better understand the current threats to the endangered North African damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale we updated information on extinct and extant populations…
A method for rearing a large number of damselflies (Ischnura elegans, Coenagrionide) in the laboratory
Dragonflies and damselflies are important study organisms in many areas of biology. Laboratory experiments with these insects have a great potential for answering evolutionary, ecological and physiological questions. Laboratory studies require insect rearing, because it can provide large sample sizes of specimens that are available throughout the year. These insects are reared under known conditions,…
Hatching phenology of Odonata species inhabiting temporary and permanent water bodies (Odonata: Lestidae, Aeshnidae, Libellulidae)
The hatching phenology of 15 Odonata species was studied under seminatural conditions to find out how the hatching modes of typical species of summer dry temporary waters (vernal ponds) differ from those of species inhabiting both permanent and temporary waters. We attempt to answer the following questions. (1) Do vernal pond species hatch earlier in…
An update on the distribution of threatened odonate species from the Greater Antilles
The Antilles harbour several island endemic odonate species, including some palaeoendemics, within a relatively small and anthropized area. Such attributes give this archipelago a special significance for the conservation of Odonata in the Neotropics. However, despite the importance of these islands, inadequately surveyed regions persist, mainly in the Greater Antilles, and there is not enough…
Volume 18, Issue 3
Preliminary list of Odonata from the Colombian Amazon, with descriptions of Inpabasis nigridorsum sp. nov. & Diaphlebia richteri sp. nov. (Coenagrionidae & Gomphidae)
The Colombian Amazon is one of the most biodiverse and unexplored regions in the world. Inventories and deeper research are needed for most of its biota, including for dragonflies. This work reports the results of a trip to the Amazon region in order to collect Odonata. It includes revision of CBUCES, CEUA and ICN entomological…
The effects of odonate species abundance and diversity on parasitism by water mites (Arrenurus spp.): testing the dilution effect
Water mites (Arrenurus spp.) parasitize adult dragonflies. We collected dragonflies weekly at 11 waterbodies in Greenville Co. and Pickens Co., SC, USA, to: (1) compare parasitism prevalence across species, sites, and sampling periods; (2) test the hypothesis that prevalence correlates with host abundance; (3) test the hypothesis that prevalence is inversely related to host diversity…
Does water intake after oviposition indicate the end of oviposition and egg depletion in Odonata females?
Oviposition in odonate females is usually considered finished when the female leaves the oviposition site. However, considering that many species lay their eggs within a set of bouts it is difficult to distinguish between the end of the oviposition bout and the end of the oviposition episode because the females can change the oviposition site…
Smaller damselflies have better flight performance at lower body temperature: implications for microhabitat segregation of sympatric Mnais damselflies
In many cases where two closely related species coexist, ecological interaction or reproductive interference drive species to diversify in their body size and/or other signal traits, often concurrently with microhabitat segregation. However, it is usually unclear how character diversification is associated with microhabitat segregation. We performed laboratory experiments using males of two damselfly species (Mnais…
Detection probabilities and sampling rates for Anisoptera exuviae along river banks: influences of bank vegetation type, prior precipitation, and exuviae size
Exuviae collections have considerable value in population studies of Odonata, but methods for standardizing collections or estimating densities and detection probabilities have been little studied. I measured sampling rates for Anisoptera exuviae and used a maximum likelihood, four-pass, depletion population estimator to standardize collections and to estimate exuvial densities and detection probabilities along 10 riverbank…
Lifetime egg production of captive libellulids (Odonata)
The estimation of lifetime egg production (LEP) is a central question in ecology, since the number of eggs produced determines the potential size of the following generation. In this study, I tried to obtain a rough estimation of the LEPs in libellulids in outdoor cages. The main questions were: (1) does hand feeding influence females’…
The Gomphidae of Algeria and the Maghreb: status, ecology and conservation (Insecta: Odonata)
A survey of the Gomphidae of Algeria and the Maghreb was carried out during the period 2013–2014. Sampling of eight main wadis across northern Algeria was undertaken and adults and exuviae were recorded. The survey yielded six species of Gomphidae. Among these, we report on the rediscovery of the Critically Endangered Lindenia tetraphylla in Algeria,…
Volume 18, Issue 4
Editorial Board
Aspects of life history of Platycnemis subdilatata (Zygoptera: Platycnemididae) in Northeast Algeria
The determination of seasonal regulation is important to understand how species have adapted to their local environmental conditions. In this study, we investigate the life history of a North African endemic damselfly, Platycnemis subdilatata, in a northeast Algerian population. We combined field and laboratory investigations to assess the embryonic development, larval growth, emergence pattern and…
Does wing shape of andromorph females of Calopteryx splendens (Harris, 1780) resemble that of males?
Female limited polymorphism consists in the coexistence of two or more female morphs in the same population and is widespread among odonates. Generally, one female morph, the andromorph, resembles males in colour or, sometimes, also in morphology and behaviour, while one or more other morphs, gynomorphs, differ from males. This phenomenon is probably promoted by…
Differential larval responses of two ecologically similar insects (Odonata) to temperature and resource variation
How species respond to shifting environmental conditions is a central question in ecology, especially because ecosystems are experiencing rapidly changing climatic conditions. However, predicting the responses of species interactions and community composition to changing conditions is often difficult. We examined the effects of rearing temperature and resource level on larval survival of two ecologically similar…
Two new genera and nine new species of damselflies from a localized area in Minas Gerais, Brazil (Odonata: Zygoptera)
Two new genera, Franciscobasis and Franciscagrion, and seven new species, i.e. Acanthagrion franciscoi, Franciscobasis franciscoi, Franciscobasis sonia, Franciscagrion franciscoi, Franciscagrion longispinum, Minagrion franciscoi and Oxyagrion franciscoi, are described and illustrated. In addition, two new species of Peristicta are reported and will be described elsewhere. All these species have been collected along a 600 m stretch of…
