Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Global diversity of dragonflies (Odonata) in freshwater

  • Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Larvae of almost all of the 5,680 species of the insect order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) are dependent on freshwater habitats. Both larvae and adults are predators. The order is relatively well studied, and the actual number of species may be close to 7,000. Many species have small distributional ranges, and are habitat specialists, including inhabitants of alpine mountain bogs, seepage areas in tropical rain forests, and waterfalls. They are often successfully used as indicators for environmental health and conservation management. The highest diversity is found in flowing waters in rain forests of the tropics, the Oriental and Neotropical regions being the most speciose. This paper discusses diversity, summarises the biogeography of dragonflies in the different biogeographical regions and gives the total number of species and genera per family per biogeographical region. Examples are given of areas of particular diversity, in terms of areas of endemism, presence of ancient lineages or remarkable recent radiations but no well-based review of areas with high endemism of dragonflies is available so far. The conservation status of dragonflies is briefly discussed. Species confined to small remnants of forest in the tropics are most under threat of extinction by human activities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bedjanič, M., 2004. Odonata fauna of Sri Lanka: research and threat status. In Clausnitzer, V. & R. Jödicke (eds), Guardians of the Watershed. Global Status of Dragonflies: Critical Species, Threat and Conservation. International Journal of Odonatology 7: 279–294.

  • Brown, J. M., M. A. McPeek & M. L. May, 2000. A phylogenetic perspective on habitat shifts and diversity in the North American Enallagma damselflies. Systematic Biology 49: 697–712.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Catling, P. M., R. A. Cannings & P. M. Brunelle, 2005. An annotated checklist of the Odonata of Canada. Bulletin of American Odontology 9: 1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, T. E. & M. F. Samways, 1996. Dragonflies (Odonata) as indicators of biotope quality in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Journal of Applied Ecology 33: 1001–1012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clausnitzer, V. & R. Jödicke (eds), 2004. Guardians of the watershed. Global status of dragonflies: critical species, threat and conservation. International Journal of Odonatology 7: 385–398.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clausnitzer, V., 2003. Dragonfly communities in coastal habitats of Kenya: indication of biotope quality and the need of conservation measures. Biodiversity and Conservation 12: 333–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corbet, P. S., 1999. Dragonflies Behaviour and Ecology of Odonata. Harley Books, Essex, England.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darwall, W., K. Smith, T. Lowe & J.-C. Vié, 2005. The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Biodiversity in Eastern Africa. IUCN SSC Freshwater Assessment Programme. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, D. A. L., 2002. The odonate fauna of New Caledonia, including the description of a new species and a new subspecies. Odonatologica 31: 229–251.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Marmels, J. C., 2001. Revision of Megapodagrion Selys, 1886 (Insecta, Odonata: Megapodagrionidae). Dissertation, Universität Zürich.

  • Dijkstra, K.-D. B. & V. Clausnitzer, 2006. Thoughts from Africa: how can forest influence species composition, diversity and speciation in tropical Odonata? In Cordero Rivera, A. (ed.), Forest and Dragonflies. Pensoft Publishers, Sofia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foote, A. L. & C. L. R. Hornung, 2005. Odonates as biological indicators of grazing effects on Canadian prairie wetlands. Ecological Entomology 30: 273–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grimaldi, D. & M. S. Engel, 2005. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hämäläinen, M. & R. A. Müller, 1997. Synopsis of the Philippine Odonata, with lists of species recorded from forty islands. Odonatologica 26: 249–315.

    Google Scholar 

  • Inoue, K., 2004. Critical species of Odonata in Japan. In Clausnitzer, V. & R. Jödicke (eds), Guardians of the Watershed. Global Status of Dragonflies: Critical Species, Threat and Conservation. International Journal of Odonatology 7: 311–324.

  • Karube, H., 2005. Why are endemic Odonates endangered in oceanic islands Ogasawara? Abstract Book of the 4th WDA International Symposium of Odonatology. Ponteverda, Spain.

  • Kinvig, R. G. & M. J. Samways, 2000. Conserving dragonflies (Odonata) along streams running through commercial forestry. Odonatologica 29: 195–208.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kosterin, O. E., 2005. Western range limits and isolates of eastern odonata species in Siberia and their putative origins. Odonatologica 34: 219–242.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kosterin, O. E., E. I. Malikova & A. Yu. Haritonov, 2004. Critical species of Odonata in the Asian part of the former USSR and the Republic of Mongolia. In Clausnitzer, V. & R. Jödicke (eds), Guardians of the Watershed. Global Status of Dragonflies: Critical Species, Threat and Conservation. International Journal of Odonatology 7: 341–370.

  • Lahriri, A. R., 1989. On the status of rare Indian odonate species. Advances in Odonatology 4: 53–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lieftinck, M. A., 1949. The dragonflies (Odonata) of New Guinea and neighbouring islands. Part VII. Results of the Third Archbold expedition 1938–1939 and of the Le Roux Expedition 1939 to Netherlands New Guinea (II. Zygoptera). Nova Guinea (N.S.) 5: 1–271.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lieftinck, M. A., 1953. The Odonata of the island Sumba with a survey of the dragonfly fauna of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Verhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft Basel 64: 118–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Needham, J. G., M. J. Westfall & M. L. May, 2000. Dragonflies of North America. Scientific Publishers, Gainesville.

    Google Scholar 

  • Okudaira, M., M. Sugimura, S. Ishida & K. Kojima, 1999. Dragonflies of the Japanese Archipelago in Color. Hokkaido UP.

  • Oppel, S., 2005. Habitat associations of an Odonata community in a lower montane rainforest in Papua New Guinea. International Journal of Odonatology 8: 243–257.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orr, A.G., 2004. Critical species of Odonata in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei. In Clausnitzer, V. & R. Jödicke (eds), Guardians of the Watershed. Global Status of Dragonflies: Critical Species, Threat and Conservation. International Journal of Odonatology 7: 371–384.

  • Orr, A. G., 2006. Odonata in Bornean tropical rain forest formations: diversity, endemicity and implications for conservation management. In Cordero Rivera, A. (ed.), Forest and Dragonflies. Pensoft Publishers, Sofia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osborn, R., 2005. Odonata as indicators of habitat quality at lakes in Louisiana, United States. Odonatologica 34: 259–270.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ott, J., 2001. Expansion of Mediterranean Odonata in Germany and Europe: consequences of climate changes. In Walther, G.-R., C. A. Burga & P. J. Edwards (eds), ‘Fingerprints’ of Climate Change: Adapted Behaviour and Shifted Species Ranges. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, Boston, Dordrecht, London, Moscow: 89–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paulson, D. R., 1982. Odonata. In Hurlbert, S. H. & A. Villalobos-Figueroa (eds), Aquatic Biota of Mexico, Central America and the West Indies. San Diego State University, San Diego.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paulson, D. R., 2004. Critical species of Odonata in the Neotropics. In Clausnitzer, V. & R. Jödicke (eds), Guardians of the Watershed. Global Status of Dragonflies: Critical Species, Threat and Conservation. International Journal of Odonatology 7: 163–188.

  • Paulson, D., 2006. The importance of forest to Neotropical dragonflies. In Cordero Rivera, A. (ed.), Forest and Dragonflies. Pensoft Publishers, Sofia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polhemus, D. A., 1997. Phylogenetic analysis of the Hawaiian Damselfly Genus Megalagrion (Odonata: Coenagrionidae): Implications for biogeography, ecology, and conservation biology. Pacific Science 51: 395–412.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polhemus, D. A., R. A. Englund & G. R. Allen, 2004. Freshwater biotas of New Guinea and nearby islands: analysis of endemism, richness, and threats. Bishop Museum Technical Report 31.

  • Rehn, A. C., 2003. Phylogenetic analysis of higher-level relationships of Odonata. Systematic Entomology 28: 181–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, R., 1992. The Dragonflies of New Zealand. Oxford University Press.

  • Sahlén, G. & K. Ekestubbe, 2001. Identification of dragonflies (Odonata) as indicators of general species richness in boreal forest lakes. Biodiversity and Conservation 10: 673–690.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sahlén, G., R. Bernard, A. C. Rivera, R. Ketelaar & F. Suhling, 2004. Critical species of Odonata in Europe. In Clausnitzer, V. & R. Jödicke (eds), Guardians of the Watershed. Global Status of Dragonflies: Critical Species, Threat and Conservation. International Journal of Odonatology 7: 385–398.

  • Samways, M. J., 2003. Conservation of an endemic odonate fauna in the Seychelles Archipelago. Odonatologica 32: 177–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Samways, M. J., 2004. Critical species of Odonata in southern Africa. In Clausnitzer, V. & R. Jödicke (eds), Guardians of the Watershed. Global Status of Dragonflies: Critical Species, Threat and Conservation. International Journal of Odonatology 7: 255–262.

  • Silsby, J., 2001. Dragonflies of the World. Natural History Museum/CSIRO.

  • Sternberg, K., 1998. The postglacial colonization of Central Europe by dragonflies, with special reference to southwestern Germany (Insecta, Odonata. Journal of Biogeography 25: 319–337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsuda, S., 2000. A Distributional List of World Odonata. Private Publication, Osaka.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Tol, J., 2005. Global Species Database Odonata. http://www.odonata.info (5 August 2005) (also available via www.species2000.org).

  • van Tol, J. & D. Gassmann, 2005. Zoogeography of freshwater invertebrates of Southeast Asia, with special reference to Odonata. In Renema, W. (ed.), Biogeography, Time and Place: Distributions and Islands. Springer.

  • van Tol, J. & F. G. Rozendaal, 1995. Records of Calopterygoidea from Vietnam, with description of two new species (Zygoptera: Amphipterygidae, Calopterygidae, Chlorocyphidae, Euphaeidae). Odonatologica 24: 89–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Tol, J., 1987. The Odonata of Sulawesi (Celebes), Indonesia an introduction. Advances in Odonatology 3: 147–155.

  • Waage, J. K., 1979. Dual function of the damselfly penis: sperm removal and transfer. Science 203: 916–918.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, L.-J., 2000. Dragonflies of Taiwan. Jemjem Calendar, Taipei.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, J. A. L., G. Theischinger & H. M. Abbey, 1991. The Australian Dragonflies. CSIRO, Canberra and Melbourne.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westfall, M. J. & M. L. May, 1996. Damselflies of North America. Scientific Publishers, Gainesville.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, K. D. P. & G. T. Reels, 2003. Odonata of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, I. Zygoptera. Odonatologica 32: 237–279.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Museum of Natural History Naturalis, PO Box 9517, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Vincent J. Kalkman, Klaas-Douwe B. Dijkstra & Jan van Tol

  2. Gräfestraße 17, 06110, Halle/Saale, Germany

    Viola Clausnitzer

  3. CRC-TREM, AES, ENS, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Q4111, Australia

    Albert G. Orr

  4. Slater Museum of Natural History, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA, 98416, USA

    Dennis R. Paulson

Authors
  1. Vincent J. Kalkman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Viola Clausnitzer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Klaas-Douwe B. Dijkstra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Albert G. Orr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Dennis R. Paulson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jan van Tol
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vincent J. Kalkman.

Additional information

Guest editors: E. V. Balian, C. Lévêque, H. Segers and K. Martens

Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kalkman, V.J., Clausnitzer, V., Dijkstra, KD.B. et al. Global diversity of dragonflies (Odonata) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia 595, 351–363 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9029-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9029-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation