OdonataTaxonomy_WfHC_PDF - CSIRO

Water for a Healthy Country
Taxon Attribute Profiles Order ODONATA
Dragonflies and Damselflies
Introduction
Dragonflies and damselflies are large, strong flying insects
which have fascinated watchers throughout time. They are
among the best known insects, and because of their large size
(usually 30-90 mm, but some species are known up to 150 mm),
captivating behaviour, and ease of identification by the nonspecialist,
they have been referred to as "bird-watchers" insects.
Many species are territorial, and they can display complex and
intriguing behaviour. Dragonflies and damselflies are
components of most riparian ecosystems. Both adult and larval
stages are predaceous, and mostly prey upon other invertebrate
species.
Taxonomy and Ecology
Synopsis of included taxa
The Odonata includes two suborders: Dragonflies (Anisoptera)
and Damselflies (Zygoptera). Damselflies are smaller and more
delicate, and have the forewing and hindwing similar in shape;
dragonflies tend to be larger and stouter, and have the forewing
and hindwing different in shape, with the base of the hindwing
being wider than that of the forewing. In living specimens, the
dragonflies generally rest with their wings extended, while the
damselflies rest with wings folded together over their back. The
larvae live underwater and breathe through gills. Damselfly
larvae have the gills in the form of three long appendages
extending from the tail end of their abdomen; dragonflies lack
these appendages, and have internal rectal gills.
Dragonfly larvae
Notoaeschna sagittata
Hemianax papuensis
Brachydiplax denticauda

Synthemis macrostigma
Damselfly larvae
Austroargiolestes icteromelas
Austrolestes annulosus
Rhyothemis graphiptera
Indolestes obiri
Nososticta coelestina
The classification of Odonata is not settled. Watson & O'Farrell (1991) and Watson et al., (1991) list 11 families of
damselflies and 6 families of dragonflies, while the ABIF Fauna List shows 12 families of damselflies and 18
families of dragonflies. Despite discrepancies concerning the number of families, authors do agree that there are
just over 300 species of Odonata in Australia (302 in Watson & O'Farrell, 1991; 320 in ABIF).
General overviews of Australian Odonata, including morphology, biology and keys to the suborders and families
are provided by Watson et al. (1991) and Watson & O'Farrell (1991).
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Life Form
Dragonflies and damselflies are among the best known and recognized insects. Adults are generally large and
elongate, with two pairs of large, membranous wings which have a dense network of veins. The compound eyes are
quite large, and often occupy most of the head. Many species are quite beautiful, with bright metallic markings on
the body, or various banded patterns on the wings. Adults are strong flyers, and are among the fastest of all insects.
The larvae are aquatic, and have elongate, prehensile
mouthparts which they use to capture their prey.
Distribution
Dragonflies and damselflies are widely distributed and
common. Within Australia, they are most diverse in the
tropical regions of north-eastern Queensland and Cape York.
The aquatic habit of the larvae restricts reproduction to water
sources, but lone adults may be found throughout Australia,
often many kilometers from the nearest water source.
Habitat
Dragonflies and damselflies are tied to aquatic habitats.
Although the adults are free living and capable of strong
flight, the other life stages require a riparian habitat.
Dragonfly and damselfly eggs are laid in water. Most
commonly, the hovering females dip their abdomens into the
water to deposit their eggs, and they can frequently be seen
doing this, either singly or still coupled to the male. Larvae
spend their entire life submerged in water, where they are predators on other small aquatic organisms. Various
species can occupy most freshwater habitats, including waterfalls, torrents, streams, lakes, ponds, swamps, bogs
and estuaries.
Adult emergence takes place when the larva crawls up out of the water
onto a rock or branch, firmly grasps the substrate with its legs, and the
adult emerges from the cast larval skin. Adults are strong flyers. Males
are often territorial, and can be observed returning to a favourite perch
where they observe their territory and are ready to fly out to capture
food or guard against other males.
Status in Community
Both adults and larvae are predaceous, and will be responsible for
removing numerous prey items during their life. Adults catch other
invertebrates which they eat during flight. Larval prey items are
generally other invertebrates, but larger species can take small fish and
tadpoles.
Cast skins of Hemicordulia tau
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Reproduction and Establishment
Reproduction
The Odonata are unusual in that the male has secondary genitalia at the base of the abdomen, to which he transfers
sperm prior to mating. This produces a very characteristic coupling pose, where the male grasps the female behind
the head with claspers at the end of his abdomen, and the female places the tip of her abdomen up to the base of the
male abdomen. Elaborate courtship rituals are often precede mating.
Dispersability
Coenagrion lyelli
Eusynthemis virgula
Animals which inhabit standing, often temporary, water sources often display the ability for dispersal and
migration over great distances. Adult dragonflies are strong fliers, and even though their larvae require water, lone
adults are often seen great distances from water. This enables them to recolonize patches of standing water that are
either unsuitable or non-existent during parts of the year.
Juvenile period
Larvae vary in habit, but all are aquatic. They can moult up to 15 times before they reach the final instar and are
ready to emerge. All larvae are predaceous, and they are generally ambush predators which remain concealed in
silt, or under rocks and plants, waiting for slow-moving prey. Odonata larvae are unusual in having hinged,
prehensile mouthparts with strong teeth which they can shoot out to capture their prey.
Hydrology and Salinity
Salinity Tolerance
Kefford et al. (2003) reported Odonata to be more tolerant to salinity than many other aquatic macroinvertebrates;
however, Bailey et al. (2002), Gooderham & Tsyrlin (2002) and Chessman (2003) showed a wide range of
tolerance within the group. For example, on the SIGNAL 2 grades of 1-10 (1 being least sensitive and 10 being
most sensitive), Odonata families ranged from 1 (Lestidae) to 10 (Austrocorduliidae) (Chessman, 2003).
Flooding Regimes
Alternating periods of flooding and drought could affect dragonfly and damselfly larvae, which need water for
survival. The strong flying ability of adults will allow recolonization of aquatic habitats after periods of drought.
Several species of Australian Odonata have larvae that are drought resistant, and can survive temporarily in an
inactive state if free water is withdrawn (Watson, 1982).
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Conservation Status
Hawking (1999) reviewed the conservation status of 314 Australian dragonflies and damselflies. Of the 314 known
Australian species, 1 was listed as Critically Endangered, 12 Endangered, 24 Vulnerable, 39 Near Threatened, 84
Data Deficient, and the remaining 154 Least Concern.
The critically endangered species, Adams emerald dragonfly (Archaeophya adamsi), is one of Australia's rarest
dragonflies, with only 5 adults having been captured. The species is known only from the greater Sydney region,
and some remaining habitats are under threat from development.
Hawking (1999) pointed out three major concerns: 1) the large number of endangered species, 2) the large number
of species which deserve priority conservation action; 3) the number of species where there is insufficient data to
make a proper assessment.
Uses
Although there are no records of Aboriginal use of dragonflies or damselflies as food, it is not unlikely that certain
species were eaten. It is well known that many insect species were eaten by Aborigines (Tindale, 1966); and the use
of dragonflies and damselflies as food items in Asia and elsewhere in the world is well documented (Pemberton,
1995; Ramos-Elorduy, 1998; Menzel & D'Alusio, 1998).
Summary
Several authors have suggested that macroinvertebrates, including Odonata, can be effectively included in
programs for monitoring water quality (Watson, 1982; Water and Rivers Commission, 1996; Chessman, 2003;
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 2004). Due to the variability of response to environmental factors within the
order, certain groups may be much more suitable as bioindicator species than others. The fact remains that they are
large, easy to observe, and can be recognized by non-specialists, making them a very suitable group for a variety of
monitoring purposes.
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List of MDB Species
Table 1. Odonata recorded from the Murray Darling Basin
(Classification from Houston et al., 1999).
DAMSELFLIES DRAGONFLIES
Coenagrionidae Aeshnidae
Austroagrion watsoni Lieftinck, 1982 Aeshna brevistyla (Rambur)
Austrocnemis splendida (Martin, 1901) Aeshna brevistyla (Rambur)
Caliagrion billinghursti (Martin, 1901) Austrogynacantha heterogena Tillyard, 1908
Coenagrion lyelli (Tillyard, 1913) Hemianax papuensis (Burmeister, 1839)
Ischnura aurora aurora (Brauer, 1865)
Ischnura heterosticta (Burmeister, 1839) Austrocorduliidae
Pseudagrion aureofrons Tillyard, 1906 Apocordulia macrops Watson, 1980
Pseudagrion ignifer Tillyard, 1906 Austrocordulia refracta Tillyard, 1909
Xanthagrion erythroneurum (Selys, 1876)
Austropetaliidae
Diphlebiidae Austropetalia patricia (Tillyard, 1909)
Diphlebia lestoides lestoides (Selys, 1853)
Diphlebia lestoides tillyardi Fraser, 1956 Cordulephyidae
Diphlebia nymphoides Tillyard, 1912 Cordulephya pygmaea Selys, 1870
Hemiphlebiidae Gomphidae
Hemiphlebia mirabilis Selys, 1869 Antipodogomphus acolythus (Martin, 1901)
Austrogomphus amphiclitus (Selys, 1873)
Isostictidae Austrogomphus angeli Tillyard, 1913
Rhadinosticta simplex (Martin, 1901) Austrogomphus australis Dale, 1854
Austrogomphus cornutus Watson, 1991
Lestidae Austrogomphus divaricatus Watson, 1991
Austrolestes analis (Rambur, 1842) Austrogomphus guerini (Rambur, 1842)
Austrolestes annulosus (Selys, 1862) Austrogomphus melaleucae Tillyard, 1909
Austrolestes aridus (Tillyard, 1908) Austrogomphus ochraceus (Selys, 1869)
Austrolestes cingulatus (Burmeister, 1839) Hemigomphus gouldii (Selys, 1854)
Austrolestes io (Selys, 1862) Hemigomphus heteroclytus Selys, 1854
Austrolestes leda (Selys, 1862)
Austrolestes psyche (Hagen, 1862) Hemicorduliidae
Hemicordulia australiae (Rambur, 1842)
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Megapodagrionidae Hemicordulia intermedia (Selys, 1871)
Austroargiolestes amabilis (Forster, 1899) Hemicordulia superba Tillyard, 1911
Austroargiolestes brookhousei Theischinger &
O'Farrell, 1986
Hemicordulia tau (Selys, 1871)
Austroargiolestes calcaris (Fraser, 1958) Procordulia jacksoniensis (Rambur, 1842)
Austroargiolestes christine Theischinger &
O'Farrell, 1986
Austroargiolestes icteromelas (Selys, 1862) Libellulidae
Austroargiolestes isabellae Theischinger &
O'Farrell, 1986
Austrothemis nigrescens (Martin, 1901)
Griseargiolestes eboracus (Tillyard, 1913) Crocothemis nigrifrons (Kirby, 1894)
Griseargiolestes griseus (Hagen, 1862) Diplacodes bipunctata (Brauer, 1865)
Griseargiolestes intermedius (Tillyard, 1913) Diplacodes haematodes (Burmeister, 1839)
Nannophlebia risi Tillyard, 1913
Nannophya dalei (Tillyard, 1908)
Protoneuridae Orthetrum caledonicum (Brauer, 1865)
Nososticta solida (Hagen, 1860) Orthretrum villosovittatum villosovittatum
(Brauer, 1868)
Pantala flavescens (Fabricius, 1898)
Synlestidae Trapezostigma loewii (Kaup, 1866)
Synlestes selysi Tillyard, 1917
Synlestes weyersii tillyardi Fraser, 1948 Synthemistidae
Archaeosynthemis orientalis (Tillyard, 1910)
Choristhemis flavoterminata (Martin, 1901)
Eusynthemis aurolineata (Tillyard, 1913)
Eusynthemis brevistyla (Selys, 1871)
Eusynthemis guttata (Selys, 1871)
Eusynthemis tillyardi Theischinger, 1995
Eusynthemis virgula (Selys, 1874)
Parasynthemis regina (Selys, 1874)
Synthemis eustalacta (Burmeister, 1839)
Telephlebiidae
Austroaeschna atrata Martin, 1909
Austroaeschna flavomaculata Tillyard, 1916
Austroaeschna inermis Martin, 1901
Austroaeschna multipunctata (Martin, 1901)
Austroaeschna obscura Theischinger, 1982
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References
Austroaeschna parvistigma (Selys, 1883)
Austroaeschna pulchra Tillyard, 1909
Austroaeschna sigma Theischinger, 1982
Austroaeschna subapicalis Theischinger, 1982
Austroaeschna unicornis unicornis
(Martin,1901)
Notoaeschna geminata Theischinger, 1982
Notoaeschna sagittata (Martin, 1901)
Spinaeschna tripunctata (Martin, 1901)
Telephlebia brevicauda Tillyard, 1916
Telephlebia cyclops Tillyard, 1916
Telephlebia godeffroyi Selys, 1883
Telephlebia tillyardi Campion, 1916
Bailey, P., Boon, P. & Morris, K. (2002) Australian Biodiversity Salt Sensitivity Database. Land & Water
Australia. http://www.rivers.gov.au/research/contaminants/saltsen.htm
Chessman, B. (2003) SIGNAL 2 - A Scoring System for Macroinvertebrate ('Water Bugs') in Australian
Rivers, Monitoring River Heath Initiative Technical Report no 31, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.
http://www.deh.gov.au/water/rivers/nrhp/signal/
Gooderham, J. & Tsyrlin, E. (2002) The Waterbug Book: a guide to the freshwater macroinvertebrates of
temperate Australia. CSIRO Publishing.
Hawking, J.H. (1999) An evaluation of the current conservation status of Australian dragonflies (Odonata).
Pp 354-360, in: W. Ponder & D. Lunney (eds), The Other 99%. The Conservation and Biodiversity of
Invertebrates. Transactions of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, Mosman.
Houston, W.W.K., Watson, J.A.L. & Calder, A.A. (1999) Australian Faunal Directory: Checklist for
Odonata. Australian Biological Resources Survey, Department of the Environment and Heritage.
http://www.deh.gov.au/cgi-bin/abrs/abif-fauna/tree.pl?pstrVol=ODONATA&pintMode=1
Kefford, B.J., Papas, P.J., Nugegoda, D. (2003) Relative salinity tolerance of macroinvertebrates from the
Barwon River, Victoria, Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research, 54: 755-765.
Menzel, P. & D'Alusio, F. (1998) Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects. Ten Speed
Press, Hong Kong.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (2004). Wetlands: Monitoring Aquatic Invertebrates.
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/biomonitoring/bio-wetlands-invert.html
Pemberton, R. W. (1995) Catching and eating dragonflies in Bali and elsewhere in Asia. American
Entomologist, 41: 97-102
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Ramos-Elorduy, J. (1998) Creepy Crawly Cuisine: The Gourmet Guide to Edible Insects. Park Street Press,
Rochester, Vermont.
Tindale, N.B. (1966) Insects as food for the Australian Aborigines. Australian Natural History, 15(6), p.
179-183.
Water and Rivers Commission (1996). Macroinvertebrates & Water Quality. Water Facts 2.
http://www.wrc.wa.gov.au/public/waterfacts/2_macro/WF2.pdf
Watson, J.A.L. (1982) Dragonflies in the Australian environment: taxonomy, biology and conservation.
Adv. Odonatol., 1: 293-302.
Watson, J.A.L. & O'Farrell, A.F. (1991) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies). Pp. 294-310, in Insects of
Australia: A textbook for students and research workers. CSIRO. 2 nd Edition.
Watson, J.A.L., Theischinger, G. & Abbey, H.M. (1991) The Australian Dragonflies: A Guide to the
Identification, Distributions and Habitats of Australian Odonata. CSIRO.
More information contact:
Dr Judy West
02 6246 5113
judy.west@csiro.au
www.csiro.au
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