IDF-Report : newsletter of the International Dragonfly Fund
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33
During three field trips in 2006 and 2010 to Cuc Phuong National Park in northern Vietnam, a total of 19 anisopteran taxa was recorded. The most interesting records are documented here with field photographs of living specimens or collection material. Observations on their biology and behaviour are also noted.
32
During three field trips in 2009-2010 to Xuan Son National Park in Phu Tho province in northern Vietnam, a total of 13 species of damselflies of the superfamily Calo-pterygoidea were recorded. These records are documented here with field photo-graphs of living damselflies. Observations on their biology and behaviour are also noted. Three of the species are reported from Vietnam for the first time: Rhinocypha arguta, an undescribed Matrona species and Vestalaria miao. The last species was first found in Huu Lien Nature Reserve in Lang Son province in June 2008.
31
The Odonata fauna of the basin of the river Severskyi Donets in its middle current (Eastern Ukraine)
(2010)
A list of 57 Odonata species from 108 localities recorded in the basin of the river Severskyi Donets in its middle range (Eastern Ukraine) is provided. This compilation includes literature and museum data as well as results from field surveys realized between 2001 and 2009. Annotations to the history of regional odonate research are made. Brief descriptions of typical dragonfly habitats in the floodplain of Severskyi Donets are presented. Locality wise notes on the reproductive status for most of the species are made.
30
Faunistic investigations on adult insects and molecular research on larvae have identified the existence of at least four species of Odonata on the Chatham Islands. The species resemble their New Zealand counterparts, although there are morphological deviations from the typical diagnostic features. Molecular evidence is not concordant with earlier morphological results as far as the genus Xanthocnemis is concerned. Genetic data suggest there are two species on the island while morphological investigations revealed just one. This topic needs further clarification and is given special atiention in the present study. The main aim of the present study is to establish the taxonomic position of Chatham Island Xanthocnemis species and its relation to New Zealand main island fauna. It also provides some data on the biology of the local species and estimates of key demographic parameters (i.e., survival and abundance). The results show that Chatham Islands inhabitants are close morphologically to their New Zealand main island counterparts. Between-island differences in wing area and abdomen-to-body length ratio were found, but were largely atiributable to the harsh environment on the Chatham Islands and its influence on body size. Chatham Xanthocnemis exhibited low survival rates and a great diversity of female colour morphs and certain behavioural traits (like underwater oviposition), which are suspected to be due to a composite influence of low summer temperatures, constant winds, and low pH. Ultimately, the taxonomic status of the Chatham Island Xanthocnemis species needs further confirmation based on molecular analysis of adults.
29
A glance at the Odonata of the Cambodian coastal mountainous regions : end of dry season in 2010
(2010)
During a visit to the coastal regions of Cambodia within the Provinces of Koh Kong, Kampong Saom, Kampot and Kep within April 12-23, 2010, 59 species of Odonata were found. Of these, 51 were identified, 2 preliminarily identified (1 by exuviae, 1 to a known species with the valid name unresolved), 1 dubious (Aciagrion cf. pallidum), 3 not identified (just visual observations) and 2 seemingly undescribed, namely Burmagomphus sp. and Microgomphus sp. Fourteen species were recorded for the first time for this country, namely Neurobasis chinensis, Dysphaea gloriosa, Euphaea masoni, Onychargia atrocyana, Copera marginipes, Copera vittata, Prodasineura autumnalis Prodasineura verticalis sensu Asahina, 1983, Lathrecista asiatica, Orthetrum chrysis, Rhyothemis obsolescens, Tramea transmarina euryale, Zygonyx iris malayana, Zyxomma petiolatum; taking the current checklist for Cambodia up to 83 species. Some features of the collected specimens relevant to their taxonomy are discussed. Brief field notes are provided and Odonata records enumerated. The habitats and community of Odonata at the Cardamon Mts. foothills at the end of dry season are discussed.
28
Based on the results of fieldwork and collecting in 2008 and 2009 and the evaluation of literature an updated national checklist of the Odonata of Kyrgyzstan is presented. The list comprises a total of 63 species, whereas 55 species were encountered in the field by the author, including five new for the country: Aeshna serrata, Onychogomphus lefebvrii, Orthetrum sabina, Crocothemis servilia, Selysiothemis nigra. 826 specimens of 49 species have been collected (dep. in coll. A. Schröter). All 55 species recorded in 2008 and 2009 are listed and annotated. Moreover, the unclear or controversial taxonomical status of several species is briefly debated. Interesting ecological observations include the emergence of Libellula quadrimaculata from running water and cleptoparasitism by Ischnura forcipata in spider webs.
27
Polillo Island is the largest among the Polillo group of islands. It is the third (ca 700sq km) largest island of the Luzon biogeographic region. The island lies in central eastern Luzon, at the western edge of Pacific Ocean and has a seasonal climate with distinct dry and wet season. The island is biologically rich with several insular species or subspecies (McGregor, 1910; Robinson, 1911; Manuel, 1957). The recent Odonata survey revealed the rich Odonata fauna of the island (Villanueva, 2010). This paper provides an update on the known Odonata based on recent fieldwork in 2010.
26
Three families in the superfamily Calopterygoidea occur in China, viz. the Calopterygidae, Chlorocyphidae and Euphaeidae. They include numerous species that are distributed widely across South China, mainly in streams and upland running waters at moderate altitudes. To date, our knowledge of Chinese species has remained inadequate: the taxonomy of some genera is unresolved and no attempt has been made to map the distribution of the various species and genera. This project is therefore aimed at providing taxonomic (including on larval morphology), biological, and distributional information on the superfamily in South China.
25
During summer field work in 2005 and 2009 data on the distribution of dragonflies were obtained on the territory of Moldova. In August 2005, 9 species were recorded for the middle part of the Dniester river (surroundings of Sakharna). Between 28 June and 4 July 2009 dragonflies were studied in almost all parts of the country - 25 species were observed. Four species (Lestes macrostigma, Coenagrion ornatum, Coenagrion scitulum, Orthetrum brunneum) were recorded for the first time in Moldova. For many species the knowledge of their Moldovan distribution was improved. The habitats of every species were described, illustrated and preliminary maps of species distribution were prepared. Literature data were also analysed and a check list of Moldovan dragonflies was created containing 37 species. The presence of several species (including Nehalennia speciosa) in Moldova needs confirmation.
24
In early 2007, I was invited by Dr. Michael Lau, Head of the China Programme of Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden (KFBG), to write a simple guide to the Odo nata of Hainan, China. KFBG is a Hong Kong-based conservation charity orga- nization, with strong links to tropical southern China, and is conducting a project to produce a series of basic fauna and flora field guides for Hainan Island, to be published in English and Chinese, but primarily aimed at older schoolchildren in China. I previously conducted field surveys of Hainan Odona ta with KFBG (as an employee or volunteer) in 1998, 1999 (twice), 2002 and 2005. Results of the three surveys conducted in 1998-1999 (one if which was also attended by Keith Wilson) were published by Wilson & Reels (2001). The results of the 2002 and 2005 surveys will appear as a chapter in a KFBG book about Hainan’s Yinggeling Nature Reserve, to be published in 2010. I also published a very brief, informal account of the 2005 survey in Agrion (Reels, 2006). On the basis of these past experiences, I gladly accepted the op tunity to write a field guide for KFBG.
23
Polillo is a small group of island (27 islands in total) east of central Luzon (Figure 1). It is made up of four main island viz. Polillo I, Patnanungan I, Jomalig I and Palasan I and several islets. This island group has relatively flat to gentle sloping terrain and the highest point is only 300 m asl (Mt. Maluhod) in Polillo Island (ca 700 km²) which is the largest in the group and the third largest island in greater Luzon biogeographic region.
21
The project Macedonia 2008 was initiated to obtain an overview of the current situation of the dragonfly fauna in Macedonia. Macedonia here refers to the territory of a former federal unit of the SFR Yugoslavia, and not to whole Macedonia. The records collected during this project are to become part of the data base for an Atlas of Odonata of Europe coordinated by Vincent Kalkman (European Invertebrate Survey, The Netherlands). Similar to other countries in this region, the odonate fauna of Macedonia is underresearched. So far, the largest research interest was directed towards the large lakes in Macedonia (Ohrid, Dojran and Prespa Lakes) (Filevska, 1954; Karaman, 1981; Karaman, 1984-85, Peters & Hackethal, 1986), the parts of the country under great influence of Mediterranean climate (Adamović, 1990) and the area around the capital city, Skopje (Adamović, 1949; Karaman, 1969; Peters & Hackethal, 1986). Some of the goals of Macedonia 2008 were: i) to visit places that had not been previously studied, ii) to re-visit places that have significantly changed compared to previous research and iii) to visit localities that are characteristic for this region.
20
A list of 60 Odonata species and their distribution across 109 localities on the Crimean Peninsula is provided. The study is based on a literature review and a field survey between 1999 and 2008. Erythromma lindenii and Epitheca bimaculata are here recorded for the first time from Crimea. Diagnostic morphological characters of Calopteryx splendens taurica and Orthetrum coerulecens anceps are briefly described. Discriptions of typical Crimean habitats of dragonflies are also presented. The necessity of the protection of Crimean freshwater habitats is discussed.
18
IDF-Report 18 (2009)
(2009)
16
In der entomologischen Bibliothek des Naturhistorischen Museums in Lima, Peru, wurde Anfang der 1990er Jahre ein stark beschädigtes Manuskript, betitelt als „Summary Catalogue of the Odonata of Peru“, aufgefunden, das dort offensichtlich seit 1933 aufbewahrt war. Als Autor ist „J. Cowley“ angegeben. Ob Cowley tatsächlich der Autor des kompletten Textes ist, kann nicht eindeutig festgestellt werden. Es gibt jedoch zahlreiche Hinweise, dass das Manuskript in Cambridge (England) erstellt wurde. Auch scheint sicher zu sein, dass die Liste selbst von Cowley stammt. Dafür sprechen vor allem aus seiner Sammlung zitierte Exemplare und die Art der Angabe von Fundorten. Vermutlich ist das Manuskript gemeinsam mit dem in Lima lebenden deutschen Tierarzt Paul Martin bzw. dessen Frau Margarita verfasst worden. Martin war begeisterter Hobby-Lepidopterologe und hatte in Peru ein Netz von Schmetterlingssammlern aufgebaut. Von diesen gesammelte andere Insektengruppen übergab Martin an Spezialisten, die Odonaten wohl überwiegend an Cowley, der auch eine Art nach Martin benannte.
15
In 2007, a project named Adriatic Montenegro 2007 was initiated and realised under the protection of IDF. Stimulated by the suggestion of Vincent Kalkman from the European Invertebrate Survey, The Netherlands, distribution data for the Odonata of Adriatic Montenegro were collected and used to create distribution maps. These data and maps should then be used in the evaluation of conservation measures for individual odonate species as well as for the IUCN Red List of the Mediterranean countries (organized by the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation) and the Project on an atlas of European dragonflies (a co-operation of all European countries organised by the European Invertebrate Survey, The Netherlands).
13a
The 14 known localities of Coenagrion armatum in Ukraine are listed and the 27 dragonfly species recorded are presented. An expedition devoted to revisit 10 of them in spring 2007 did not result in a confirmation at any of them. Here, all localities are described in detail and possible reasons for the absence of the species are discussed. These include habitat alterations because of anthropogenic impact, such as agricultural activity, as well as decreasing competitiveness against Mediterranean species that spread in response to altered climatic conditions. Proposed measures of conservation of C. armatum in Ukraine include a) the inclusion into the Red Data Book of Ukraine under category I (Endangered) and b) additional studies, monitoring and habitat conservation.
13b
Twenty-eight Odonata species were recorded in the Poliskyi Nature Reserve (Zhytomyr oblast’, North Ukraine) in 2006 and 2007, 18 of which were reported for the first time from this location. This included such rare species as Somatochlora arctica (second record in the Ukraine, first record for 100 years), Leucorrhinia dubia, Leucorrhinia rubicunda and Leucorrhinia albifrons. A breeding site and a dense population of Nehalennia speciosa were found in a bog near the river. Zholobnytsya. The record of Orthetrum coerulescens is the northernmost in Ukraine.
12
In July 2005, Rafal Bernard requested Oleg Kosterin to collect some samples of Nehalennia speciosa from West Siberia for a DNA analysis. Oleg replied that so far he had only seen one individual of this species 25 years ago, but asked in which habitats it should be sought for exactly. Rafal sent him a draft of his paper (Bernard & Wildermuth, 2005) devoted to this subject. Having read it, Oleg came to the conclusion that this habitat (shallow water with Sphagnum and Carex limosa or C. lasiocarpa) might occupy the largest area in the world just in the boggy West Siberian Plain. Personal consultation with the geobotanist Dr. Nikolai Lashchinskii confirmed this notion. Then an almost automatic supposition followed that this area may serve as the main reservoir of N. speciosa, considered a local and endangered species in Western and Central Europe. At the same time, the existing records of N. speciosa from West Siberia were remarkably scarce. It was known from the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region (basins of the Tura and Konda Rivers), a small number of records from North Altai and adjacent areas north of it, a record from the steppe zone of Novosibirsk Province (Karasuk), a record in the basin of the Tuba River (Krasnoyarskii Krai), and a dubious old record from Omsk (see the map in Belyshev (1973) and a review in Bernard & Wildermuth (2005)). There was no record from the boggy Irtysh-Ob’ interfluve, where we would expect the species to flourish. This could be explained by the lack of attention by odonatologists to that interesting area. In these circumstances, the project of a special expedition(-s) was put forward, aimed to check the presence, pattern of distribution, abundance and habitat preferences of N. speciosa in these areas. For a decisive expedition we chose the Vasyugan Bog, the largest bog in the world, more precisely its north-eastern margin where we could find a good base in Plotnikovo village, Bakchar District, Tomsk Province.
11
Untangling some taxonomic riddles on damselfly genera (Zygoptera) from the neotropical region
(2007)
Examination of type material deposited in the IRSNB (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium) and in the BMNH (British Museum of Natural History, London, Great Britain) allowed us to solve taxonomic riddles regarding several damselfly (Zygoptera) genera from the neotropical region. We provide notes on the status of several types, and introduce the following new synonymies: Argia huallaga Fraser, 1946 = A. adamsi Calvert, 1902; Argia makoka Fraser, 1946 = A. kokama Fraser, 1946; Argia mollusca Fraser, 1946 = A. collata Selys, 1865; Argia trifoliata Fraser, 1946 = A. variegata Förster, 1914; Argia umbriaca Fraser, 1946 = A. indicatrix Calvert, 1902; Amphiagrion amphion Selys, 1876 = Ischnura verticalis (Say, 1840); a new combination: Oxyagrion cardinalis Fraser, 1946 to Leptobasis cardinalis (Fraser, 1946); and three lectotype designations (for Acanthagrion gracile race? lancea Selys, 1876, Acanthagrion trimaculatum Selys, 1876, and Leptagrion flammeum Selys, 1876).
10
The adult morphology of the recently established species Somatochlora borisi Marinov, 2001 is outlined. The species has a unique combination of features, especially when compared to representatives of the two closest European genera, Cordulia Leach, 1815 and Somatochlora Selys, 1871 but also compared to other Holarctic genera and species within the Corduliinae (sensu Garrison et al. 2006). The extent of these morphological differences suggests that the species can not be assigned to any of the extant genera, and therefore the new genus Corduliochlora is being established.
9
In 2005 we started a study of the ecology and evolutionary history of damselflies of the genus Nesobasis, endemic to Fiji. In addition we made account of the species of Zygoptera present at our study sites, and made notes on the Anisoptera. In general, the odonate fauna of the Fiji archipelago is poorly studied. Here, we provide an historical overview of the knowledge on this fauna and give details of the species we encountered in August - September 2005. We made observations and collected voucher specimens for 2 species of the genus Ischnura, 2 of the genus Agriocnemis, 1 of the genus Austrolestes, 7 of the genus Melanesobasis and 25 of the genus Nesobasis. For Melanesobasis we also made account of an additional subspecies. Further, we discovered 2 species of damselfly new to science, 1 on Viti Levu and 1 on Vanua Levu, both belonging to the genus Nesobasis. Our results indicate that further exploration within the Fiji archipelago will be rewarding and that more species new to science are to be discovered. We hope our work will spur further interest in the Pacific, which will be essential if we are to conserve the unique community of damselflies encountered in this region.
8
The ecological and faunistic research of Odonata in Ukraine has been based on three main pillars. The first are investigations of species composition, habitat preferences, trophic connections, parasites and predators, behaviour patterns, and morphological and physiological peculiarities of dragonflies by expert-odonatologists. The second pillar is the collection and identification of adults for the survey of animals from different regions, especially rare and endangered species for the Red Lists and Red Data Book. Thirdly, there is the study of Odonata larvae as components of freshwater ecosystems, particularly as food of fish.
Some present Ukrainian regions belonged to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania before 1939-1945. Odonatological investigations were held up during the Second World War and the 12 years of post-war rebuilding.
The first data on Ukrainian Odonata were published in the second part of the 19th century (Belke, 1859, 1866). Since then, several Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, Hungarian and Romanian scientists have made great contributions to the investigation of the odonate fauna and ecology. One of the most famous odonatologists, J. Dziêdzielewicz, worked in the western Ukraine from the end of the 19th to the early 20th century. At the same time G. Artobolevs’ky investigated the northern and central parts of Ukraine and the Crimea peninsula. A. Brauner and A. Bartenev carried out research in the southern Ukraine and Crimea.
R. Pavlyuk continued research in the western region of Ukraine. He carried out faunistic, ecological and parasitological investigations. A. Oliger studied faunistic and ecological aspects of dragonflies in the easternmost part of the Ukraine (Donets’k region). Recently, S. Gorb published many papers devoted to the functional morphology of dragonflies. He also provided a study of the species composition and ecological peculiarities of Odonata in northern Ukraine and a catalogue of the Ukrainian species. Today, several odonatologists are actively involved in odonatological research in Ukraine. N. Mathuskina works on the functional morphology of the ovipositor and dragonfly behaviour, L. Khrokalo on faunistics and ecology in the northeastern Ukraine and on aspects of nature conservation, O. Dyatlova on the faunistics in the southwest of the country and some aspects of morphology and behaviour. A. Martynov studies the faunistics in the eastern part of Ukraine.
7
The odonate fauna of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is species rich but poorly studied. Geographic ranges, ecology, and thus conservation status of many species are unknown. In this study I provide an inventory of two sites within the largest formally protected forest area in PNG, the Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area. I sampled odonates for a total of 112 days in a pristine forest site and for 36 days in a traditional garden village, and worked with local communities to increase the awareness of dragonflies in the area. I found a total of 78 species (60 Zygoptera, 18 Anisoptera) from 13 families, including at least six currently undescribed species.
The pristine rainforest hosted more species (61) than the village (37), and a longer sampling period was required to reach an approximately equal level of the total species richness. I calculated species accumulation curves for both areas and found that 100 sampling days were required in the pristine forest, whereas 35 sampling days appeared sufficient in the modified forest. More than two-thirds of all species recorded in the pristine forest were observed in less than half of all the sampling sessions, indicating that species might be both rare and occur only during certain times of the year. The number of species recorded per sampling session indicated some seasonality in the odonate fauna of the pristine forest, which should be considered in future studies. The study suggests that modification of tropical rainforests will lead to a loss of species richness. Conservation of odonates in PNG is therefore dependent on the preservation of primary rainforests, which requires the education of native people living in these areas. Dragonflies were well known among local people inhabiting the study area, but did not play a major role in their culture. More work on dragonflies is needed to describe the diversity of the PNG odonate fauna.
6.4
6.1
Dragonflies were collected at ten localities in five counties (sous-préfectures) in southern Bénin and are presently identified. A total of 73 species were found, including 45 new records for the country. The list of the odonates of Bénin currently comprises 86 species although more than 100 can probably be expected.
6.2
Records of 33 species of Odonata from Ankarafantsika National Park are presented. Four additional species have been reported in the literature. Nineteen species are recorded from the site for the first time. The site is the largest remaining block of dry forest in Madagascar’s Western Region. While 80% of Madagascar Odonata species are endemic, only 40% of the species recorded in Ankarafantsika is endemic. Moreover, the endemics recorded are mostly common throughout the island. The dry forests are thus of relatively little importance for Madagascar’s diversity of Odonata.
6.3
65 species of Odonata are recorded from Mulanje and its slopes. Only eight species dominate on the high plateau. Among them are two relict species of conservation concern: The endemic Oreocnemis phoenix (monotypic genus) and the restricted-range species Chlorolestes elegans. The absence of mountain marsh specialists on the plateau is noteworthy. Mulanje’s valleys, of which Likabula and Ruo are best known, have a rich dragonfly fauna. The Eastern Arc relict Nepogomphoides stuhlmanni is common here.
5
The Tyva Republic, within the Russian Federation, has acquired its present name in 1991. It was formerly known as the Tuvinian Autonomous Region within the USSR. Its common names in the past centuries were Uryankhaiskii Krai or Soyotskii Krai. In modern Russian, it is known under the name Tuva (not Tyva), which will be used further in the text. This country, for example, embraces the sources of the great Siberian river Yenisei and its capital, the town of Kyzyl, represents the geographical centre of Asia. To date, this vast and clear cut territory was hitherto almost unexplored in odonatological respect. In particular, it was not visited by the outstanding Siberian odonatologist B. F. Belyshev. Scarce materials from the recent Tuvinian territory were mentioned by Valle (1942), who considered it to be Mongolian. In the only paper concerning the dragonflies of Tuva in particular (two localities in its very south) 14 species were reported (Zaika & Kosterin 1990). The "transitional form between Ophiogomphus serpentinus and O. reductus” considered in that work, however, turned out to be the Chinese-Mongolian species Ophiogomphus spinicornis (Kosterin, 1999). Finally, one of us published two works on the general lentic fauna of the Ubsu-Nur Hollow in general (Zaika, 1996) and Lake Tere-Khol' in particular (Zaika, 1999), where 26 and 9 species were listed, respectively. The latter work was based on larval identification. Because this is difficult, this information should be taken with caution. The presence of species such as Ischnura pumilio and Cordulia aenea was not confirmed by records of adults and may be erroneous.
2
Contents : KLAUS REINHARDT : Aspects of the dragonfly fauna of eastern Kazakstan, MARTIN SCHORR : Bilder aus dem Leben des Odonatologen Dr. Erich Schmidt (1890 - 1969), Rechenschaftsbericht über das Geschäftsjahr 1999