1st European Congress on Odonatology Programme and abstracts

Preliminary study to monitoring the dragonfly fauna (Odonata)
in the ET 56 UTM grid square (South-Nyírség, Hungary)
Attila Ferenc Kalmár 1 – György Dévai 1 – Tibor Jakab 2
1 Department of Hydrobiology, Centre of Arts, Humanities and Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology,
University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, H–4032 Debrecen, Hungary
2 Kossuth Lajos Secondary Grammar-school, Baross Gábor út 36, H-5350 Tiszafüred, Hungary
In 2009 a faunistic preliminary survey on nymphs, exuviae and adults was carried out to monitor the
dragonfly fauna in and near the water bodies of the 10x10 km sized ET 56 UTM grid square east of
Debrecen (E-Hungary) which partially belongs to the Hajdúság Landscape Protection Area. All the
water habitat types which can be found in the grid are represented by the sample sites: stream and
creeks, ponds, marshes and pools. Many of them are natural but some of them are artificial water
bodies (e.g. reservoirs, ditches and canals). Only two large scale faunistic surveys have been made in
the grid square up till now. The first was in 1989 and the second was in 2006 and both based on
adults. In the course of the first one in 1989, which was complete for the dragonflies’ flight period, 46
dragonfly species were noticed on 71 sample sites. In the course of the second one in 2006, which
was almost complete for the dragonfly’s flight period, 33 species were recorded on 44 sample sites.
Comparing these surveys have caused difficulties because of the different methodologies and the
elapsed time between them. In this way, another survey was needed to monitor the fauna in the grid.
The aim of this preliminary study was to plan a monitoring survey which will last at least for two
years. The water habitats of the dragonfly fauna here in the grid square are threatened by aridity
likely caused by mistreat of the water budget and possibly global warming. One marsh and one pool
marked and surveyed in 1989 have already vanished. During the survey there was a considerable
drought in the area and most of the habitats were completely dry for 2 or 3 months, and that could be
the reason for the relatively low number of species (e.g. we couldn’t collect larvae on most of the
sample sites during July, August and September). In 2009 on 68 sample sites 35 species (12
Zygoptera 23 Anisoptera) were recorded and 5 of them are nationally protected (Aeshna isosceles,
Somatochlora flavomaculata, Libellula fulva, Orthetrum brunneum, Leucorrhinia pectoralis). These 35
species are the 53,8 percent of the whole Hungarian fauna (65 species). We collected 351 larvae and
24 exuviae and identified 1804 adults in the field. The most diverse habitats were the small
watercourses with 31 species and the ponds with their not much less 29 species. The dragonfly-fauna
of the pools consisted of only 15 species and the marshes had 13 species.
Key words: Odonata, adult, nymph, exuvium, ET 56 UTM grid.
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