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 information to set IUCN threat categories for eight species supposed to be at risk, which are currently classified as data deficient (DD). To update the distribution of endangered (EN), vulnerable (VU) and DD species, we conducted a series of field surveys in Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Cuba, and compiled data from literature, museum collections as well as personal communications. We sampled a total of 37 species, including Microneura caligata, Phylolestes ethelae and Hypolestes clara (EN); H. trinitatis (VU); and Diceratobasis macrogaster, Neoneura maria and Protoneura capillaris (DD). We provide new locality records for M. caligata, N. carnatica (DD), N. maria (DD), P. capillaris, H. clara, H. trinitatis and Erythrodiplax bromeliicola (DD). According to our results, we suggest changing the category of D. macrogaster, D. melanogaster, N. carnatica, N. maria and P. capillaris to VU.
Several species of biting midges of the genus Forcipomyia are frequently found attached to the wings of adult odonates, acting as parasites by sucking haemolymph from the wing veins. Here we report the first finding of F. incubans on odonates in the peninsula of Zapata, Cuba. We found the midge on the wings of Erythrodiplax simplicicollis, E. umbrata, Crocothemis servilia, and in the wings and body of Perithemis domitia, all species belonging to the family Libellulidae. This is the first record of this interaction for the Antilles.
The dragonfly genus Erythrodiplax Brauer is distributed mainly in the Neotropics, and includes 56 described species (Garrison et al. 2006). Five of seven Antillean species occur in Cuba: Erythrodiplax berenice naeva (Hagen, 1861), E. bromeliicola Westfall, 2000, E. fervida (Erichson, 1848), E. justiniana (Selys, 1857) and E. umbrata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Trapero & Naranjo 2003). The last stage larva has been described for all species from Cuba except for E. fervida.
The nymph of Tramea binotata (Rambur, 1842) is described and illustrated based on reared specimens from Brazil and Ecuador, and also matching nymphs from Venezuela. A new character was discovered, i.e., density of minute spiniform setae scattered on the dorsum of abdominal segments 7 & 8, that separates the Neotropical species into two groups: high density of the tiny setae separates T. binotata, T. insularis Hagen, 1861 and T. calverti Muttkowski, 1910 from the other known species which have zero to only a few of these setae. Tramea binotata is distinct from most other Neotropical species known in the nymph stage by having only 7 or 8 palpal setae, rarely 6 or 9, on one side (versus 10–12); T. calverti and T. insularis have similar low numbers of palpal setae (8–10) but each has more premental setae per side (11–14 in calverti and insularis vs. 8–10, rarely 11, in binotata). The nymphs of Tramea minuta De Marmels & Rácenis, 1982 and T. rustica De Marmels & Rácenis, 1982 are still unknown.
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