A critical overview of progress in studies of migration of dragonflies (Odonata: Anisoptera), with emphasis on North America

Abstract

Migration by Odonata has been recorded sporadically for several centuries, but only recently have new technologies and a new wave of interest in these ancient insects sparked a concerted effort to understand the extent, behavioral mechanisms, adaptive significance, and ecological consequences of this phenomenon. Here I review our current knowledge of these sometimes spectacular flights, focusing on the few species in North America that are known to migrate more or less annually. One of these, the Common Green Darner, Anax junius, has been shown to traverse hundreds to thousands of kilometers from north to south during fall migration. Pantala flavescens (Wandering Glider) is plausibly inferred to make an overseas flight from India to East Africa with the Northeast Monsoon, although its migrations in North America are less well understood. Large scale movements of these and other species raises questions about population connectivity, ecosystem impacts, the nature and evolution of cues that initiate migration, and effects of climate change on these phenomena.

The predatory behaviour of nymphs of dragonfly (Africocypha varicolor) on fry of African mud catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and control by skunk weed (Petivera alliacea) root-extract in aquaculture

“…These higher classes, with well-developed hook on the labium, were able to grab the slender tail of tender tadpoles in the laboratory during feeding trials as alternative to fish-fry, and 'hook unto' it until when a portion was 'cut-off' for eating during the laboratory acclimatization. This is similar to the report of Paulson et al [34][35][36] that attributed the efficiency of predation to the possession of a large specialized labium being used to shoot out and stab prey with the labial palps; such that the labium retracts and brings the prey back to the mandibles for consumption (Tables 2-4 Table 4: Showing probit-mortality of naiads exposed to varying concentration of the water root-extract of P. alliacea in a 96-hr acute toxicity test. hours and 96 hours, two trials out of four recorded a consumption rate of one fry out of ten; giving a consumption rate of about 10.0%.…”

Long‐range seasonal migration in insects: mechanisms, evolutionary drivers and ecological consequences

“…). There are numerous observations in the literature of day‐flying butterflies and dragonflies engaging in mass migration in a seasonally advantageous direction close to the ground (Srygley & Dudley ; May ; Stefanescu et al . ).…”

L’aeschne majestueuse, une libellule en situation précaire au Québec

“…Walker (1958) fait aussi remarquer que les imagos ont tendance à s'introduire dans les bâtiments, probablement parce qu'ils recherchent des environnements qui rappellent leurs lieux d'alimentation et de reproduction, à l'ombre d'un couvert forestier. L'aeschne majestueuse n'est pas connue pour être une espèce franchement migratrice, c'est-à-dire qui quitte l'habitat où l'émergence a eu lieu pour obligatoirement déménager sur une longue distance dans un nouvel habitat pour se reproduire (Corbet, 1999;May, 2013). Aux États-Unis cependant, des essaims pouvant compter des centaines d'individus, possiblement provoqués par des conditions exceptionnelles de sécheresse, sont occasionnellement rapportés à la fin mai et au début juin, notamment aux printemps 1983 et 1995, le long de la côte Atlantique (Walker, 1958;Sones, 1995;Soltesz et collab., 1995;Bried, 2003).…”