Dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) from a Cerrado area at Triângulo Mineiro, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

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.

Diversity of Odonata (Insecta) in Seasonal Deciduous Forest fragments in southern Brazil (state of Rio Grande do Sul), with a new record for the state and comments on the seasonal distribution of the species

“…The diversity pattern of odonate families here observed was analogous to previous studies. The higher diversity of Libellulidae and Coenagrionidae (which added up to almost 80% of the species in the study area) was also detected in southeastern and central Brazil (Souza et al 2013;Vilela et al 2016;Koroiva et al 2017; Borges et al 2019) as well as in other studies conducted in Rio Grande do Sul (Pires et al 2013;Renner et al 2016a, b). These results corroborate the findings that Libellulidae and Coenagrionidae are the most speciose families of Odonata in the Neotropical Region (Kalkman et al 2008 The dominant genera in the study area also followed previously observed patterns.…”

Odonate Communities of the Sucupira Reservoir, Rio Uberabinha, Minas Gerais, Brazil

“…Nonetheless, a new species of the family Libellulidae was found at this site: Erythrodiplax ana Guillermo-Ferreira & . A new species was also found by a recent study at Fazenda Nova Monte Carmelo in the Triângulo Mineiro Region; a species of the genus Tigriagrion (Coenagrionidae), which is currently being described (Borges et al, 2019). These data suggest that this relatively unexplored area of the Cerrado is likely to possess yet additional new odonate species.…”

“…Reported values for odonate species richness in the Cerrado biome range from 26 to 85 (Ferreira-Peruquetti & Fonseca-Gessner, 2003;Almeida et al, 2013;Calvão et al, 2014;Dutra & De Marco, 2015;Vilela et al, 2016;Souza et al, 2017;Klein et al, 2018;Borges et al, 2019). Considering that studies reporting higher species richness in the Cerrado were done at larger sites with larger 8,9,10,11,14,15,16,17,21,23,24,25,29,35,36,37 Erythrodiplax castanea (Burmeister, 1839) 9,11,13,14,15,16,17,18,22,23,24,25,33,35,36 Erythrodiplax juliana Ris, 1911 9,10,11,13,15,16,17,23,35 Erythrodiplax latimaculata Ris, 1911 X X 99 UB20180011 MG, BA, RJ, SP, AM, MT,MS,CE,GO 11,13,14,15,1...…”

“…The present study recorded species that are rarely sampled in inventories, such as Cyanallagma angelae Lencioni, 2001; Cyanallagma nigrinuchale Selys, 1876; Homeoura lindneri Ris, 1928; Lestes minutus Selys, 1862; Nehalennia minuta Kirby, 1890; and Phyllocycla gladiata Selys, 1854, suggesting that the surroundings of Rio Uberabinha, as well as other areas of the Triângulo Mineiro Region, still have the potential for the existence of species that have limited distributions, despite it being degraded (see Table 1). Furthermore, some areas are important for conserving odonate diversity, and thus should be prioritized for the preservation of these insects (Borges et al, 2019).…”

“…Many studies of odonates in Minas Gerais have been carried out in the central and southern regions of the state (Souza et al, 2013;Almeida et al, 2013;Bedê et al, 2015), while other areas remain poorly sampled. For example, little is known about the odonate fauna of the Triângulo Mineiro Region in western Minas Gerais (e.g., Borges et al, 2019). This region should be considered a priority area for faunal surveys of odonates (De Marco & Vianna, 2005) since rapid growth of agriculture has led to the loss of natural habitats (Lima, 1996).…”