ABSTRACT:Studies concerning the occurrence of species and seasonality are of great importance for both the elucidation of species distribution and conservation of natural habitats. We performed a survey of Odonata species and studied their seasonality in an endemic endangered palm swamp (i.e. Veredas) environment of the Ecological Reserve of Clube de Caça e Pesca Itororó de Uberlândia, Southestern Brazil. Between July 2010 and June 2011, we recorded 31 species of five different families and 21 genera. The community was strongly seasonal, since 24 species occurred in the wet season, while ten occurred in both dry and wet season, and only two species occured only in the dry season. All Anisoptera species preferred lentic habitats, whereas seven of the 18 Zygopera species preferred lentic habitats and 11 species preferred lotic sites. The five Calopterygidae and Protoneuridae species preferred lotic habitats. The study site exhibits a great diversity of dragonflies and damselflies, which are important elements of the trophic chain in the Cerrado aquatic and neighboring land environments. This justifies the development of conservation actions in palm swamp areas, which are poorly known and threatened by the constant advance of urban, monoculture and pasture areas in Cerrado.

The knowledge about the richness and distribution of Brazilian dragonflies is still being unveiled. Over the years, inventories, reviews, and descriptions have been made. These contributions, apart from the taxonomic value, also provide valuable data on the occurrence of species and their distributions, which are rarely accompanied by notes about natural history and behavior. Keeping this legacy in mind, we collected dragonflies between 2011 and 2019 in Minas Gerais state, which resulted in the registration of 90 species, 41 genera and 11 families. Our results also increase distribution data, an important tool for conservation actions, and provide additional information about habitat and biology of species.

Odonata is considered, among the aquatic insect orders, the second largest group in number of species. Its global richness is estimated in about 6,000 described species. The Brazilian richness represents around 14% of the world's odonatofauna, however, the knowledge on Brazilian dragonflies distribution is still poor. This study purpose an inventory of the dragonflies species present in aquatic habitats from a Preserved Area according to the Brazilian Forest Code, located in the Cerrado biome at Triângulo Mineiro, Minas Gerais. In the dry season, from April to June of 2017, we collected 680 specimens belonging to 36 species and six families. Among the collected species, Elasmothemis williamsoni was observed by the first time in Minas Gerais State, and we also found a new species of Tigriagrion (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae) which is being described by taxonomists. Considering the fast agricultural advance over natural Cerrado systems, species lists can be important to define priority conservation areas for odonate species.

Dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) are widely distributed among freshwater ecosystems of tropical and temperate environments. They are also particularly sensitive to anthropogenic changes. The objective of this study was to inventory the odonate fauna of a section of the Sucupira Reservoir on Rio Uberabinha, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and to document the species composition of the odonate fauna during the dry and rainy seasons. The study also aimed to describe the distribution of the sampled species in Brazilian states. Sampling took place in August and September of 2017 (dry season) and in February and March of 2018 (rainy season), and recorded 860 individuals of 43 species belonging to 26 genera and six families. Six new records representing the families Gomphidae, Libellulidae and Coenagrionidae were recorded for the state of Minas Gerais. Seventeen species were collected only during the rainy season and eight only during the dry season, while 18 species were found in both seasons. The rainy season had greater abundance, with four times as many individuals as the dry season. This study increases the number of records for Odonata in the Minas Gerais state, and reinforces the trend for greater predominance of this group during the rainy season in this biome.

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Erythrodiplax ana sp. nov. (male holotype, six male and three female paratypes), collected in Vereda wetlands (a unique Neotropical savanna environment) in Uberlândia (Minas Gerais) and Chapada dos Guimarães (Mato Grosso), Brazil, is described and illustrated. The new species fits in Borror's Basalis Group, and can be distinguished from other species by the combination of the following traits: blue pruinosity dorsally on thorax and third to eighth abdominal segments; sides of the thorax olive-green; face ivory or olive-green; wings hyaline with a small apical brown spot on all four wings, well defined in females; male genitalia with sclerotized erectile posterior lobe and inflatable sac-like median process. Last instar larvae were reared in the laboratory, resulting in the description of the larva. We also followed this population for 13 months and present resulting biological notes and comments on ontogenetic color change in males, as well as longevity.

We present the first listing of odonatan species (Insecta: Odonata) that occur in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. There are 49 species and 29 genera registered, making Paraíba the third in number of species among the Brazilian states of northeastern region. The families with the largest number of species were Libellulidae, with 31 species and 15 genera, followed by Coenagrionidae with 11 species and 7 genera. Interior regions of the state are under-sampled, which should still lead to an underestimated number of species. In addition, we present taxonomic notes of two species collected during our expeditions: males of Progomphus dorsopallidus Byers, 1934 and females of Macrothemis griseofrons Calvert, 1909. Here, we detail important characteristics and present figures to aid their morphological identifications.

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