Detailed Program and Abstracts

Abstracts

HISTORY AND CURRENT STATUS OF ODONATOLOGY IN VIRGINIA, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND CONSERVATION OF THE FAUNA

Steve Roble, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA (steve.roble@dcr.virginia.gov)

Virginia was first settled by Europeans more than 400 years ago, but the study of its native biota, especially insects, has lagged behind many other states. Although few biologists and amateur naturalists collected Odonata during this span, 195 species have been recorded in the state at least once. This total ranks second only to Texas among all US states and Canadian provinces. The state’s varied geography likely accounts for this high diversity. Recent additions to the Virginia fauna are primarily southern species, whereas several northern species have not been recorded in the state in several decades. Survey efforts by staff of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage (VDCR-DNH), during the past quarter century have helped to elucidate the composition, distribution, and conservation status of the state’s Odonata fauna. A growing number of skilled birders/naturalists have also contributed important distributional records, primarily by photographic means, during the past decade. The current VDCR-DNH rare animal list includes 62 species of Odonata (53 dragonflies, 9 damselflies). This represents a reduction of more than 50% since the first state list was prepared in 1988, reflecting increased knowledge of the status of many species. Clubtails (Gomphidae) account for 40% of the rare species in Virginia. No Odonata species is formally listed as threatened or endangered in Virginia, but several species with globally restricted ranges inhabit the state. Recent on-line resources concerning Virginia Odonata include several private websites, VDCR-DNH’s atlas of Virginia’s rare Lepidoptera and Odonata (http://www.vararespecies.org), and most recently, a Virginia Odonata Facebook group.

THE DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES (ODONATA) OF COLORADO: AN UPDATE

Bill Prather, Inez Prather, David Leatherman, and B.C. Kondratieff, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Boris.Kondratieff@Colostate.edu)

The species of Odonata recorded from Colorado are reviewed. We report 121 species and provide examples of the distribution of these species among the three physiographic provinces recognized for the state, the Great Plains, the mountains, and the western plateaus. Numerous common eastern North American lentic species have probably colonized the state in recent times, with the availability of suitable habitats created mostly by historic irrigated agriculture practices. Additionally, species such as Orthemis ferruginea (F.) (Roseate Skimmer) colonize sporadically and recently, typically far western species such as Paltothemis lineatipes Karsch (Red Rock Skimmer) and Pseudoleon superbus (Hagen) (Filigree Skimmer) have dispersed into the state. Comments are also provided on species previously listed from the state but not confirmed.

TENNESSEN’S NYMPH BOOK: A STATUS REPORT

Ken Tennessen, Wautoma, WI (ktennessen@centurytel.net)

Preparation of a new identification guide to the dragonfly nymphs (Anisoptera) occurring in the United States and Canada is nearing completion. The book is a technical treatise, containing amply illustrated dichotomous keys for identifying the 7 families, 72 genera and 326 species occurring in the region. Each genus is represented by a full habitus drawing of a selected species. Many new characters have been discovered at each taxonomic level, and a few examples of these will be presented; a few previously-used characters that have been found to be unreliable will be discussed also. In addition to the identification keys, each generic account contains a distribution map and further diagnosis. A table containing measurements for each species gives an estimate of size variation; discussion of problematic species within each genus are provided as further diagnoses. A detailed treatment of nymph anatomy and methods for studying dragonfly nymphs and exuviae are included in separate chapters. Deadline for submission of the manuscript to the publisher is December 31, 2017. The book is nearing completion but work on several Corduliidae genera and a number of Libellulidae genera is still in progress: ergo, will I meet the deadline?

IMPACT OF WIND VELOCITY ON LOCAL FLIGHT DISPERSAL OF DRAGONFLIES

Richard S. Groover, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA (rgroover@reynolds.edu)

A manipulated field experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that at some level of wind velocity in the boundary layer, local dispersing dragonflies will fly downwind. Field data was analyzed using Oriana ©, a directional analysis software. Flight downwind occurred when wind velocity exceeded 5 km/hr in 78% of cases (40 out of 51 individuals). When wind velocity was less than 5 km/hr, direction of flight was in the downwind direction in only 19% of cases (3 out of 16 individuals). A revised hypothesis is presented: when wind velocity exceeds 5 km/hr under the environmental conditions tested in this study, dispersal of adult dragonflies of the species tested will be mostly in a downwind direction.

GROWTH AND ONTOGENETIC CHANGE IN ANAX WALSINGHAMI

Ken Tennessen, Wautoma, WI (ktennessen@centurytel.net)

I raised Anax walsinghami from the egg stage to full-grown nymphs in 9½ months. Eggs were laid in July 2017 and hatched in about 2 weeks. The hatchlings were put in individual small plastic dishes. I provided the 5 nymphs I had with very small prey at first, mainly newly-hatched chironomid (midge) larvae. As the nymphs grew, I varied the prey from chironomid larvae to blackworms (Lumbriculus), scuds (Gammarus), mosquito larvae (Culicidae), plus a few other organisms such as mayfly nymphs as available. The nymphs were subjected to a cold period of 6 weeks in mid-winter, during which water temperature varied from about 2.2 °C to 7 °C. The nymphs were able to feed on small scuds above 40–42 °C but ate very few scuds at temperatures below that. One male and one female nymph made it to final instar (F-0), the former in 14 molts (15 instars), the latter in 15 molts (16 instars). I preserved each shed exuvia for examination. Data on growth rate of various morphological structures (head width, femur length, cercus length) and ontogenetic changes (increase in no. of antennal segments) are provided.

RUBICUNDULUM! OH RUBICUNDULUM! WHEREFORE ART THOU RUBICUNDULUM?

Michael Blust, Green Mountain College, Poultney, VT (blustm@greenmtn.edu)

When we started pulling together the data for Odonata in Vermont, we ran into the beginner’s problem of trying to distinguish Sympetrum rubicundulum from Sympetrum internum. We also were trying to confirm species for the state list. Due to the need to examine genitalia for these two species, we ran into two problems:

1) We could not find any S. rubicundulum ourselves.

2) We could not find any confirmable evidence from existing records.

Eventually, we decided to expunge the species from the state list. This left a “hole” in the distribution maps for the species. One possible explanation for this hole was that some of the surrounding records were incorrect. As we started investigating records, both recent and historical, from the northeast, the trend was that records were either unconfirmable photos or specimens that turned out to be S. internum. So I decided to go on a search for evidence of the actual range in the Northeastern part of the country. Here I will present the results of that search so far and request anyone who believes they have specimens, or know where there might be specimens, from Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, or Prince Edward Island to contact me.

THE OPHIOGOMPHUS MAINENSIS COMPLEX IN THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS

T.W. Donnelly, Binghamton, NY (tdonelly@binghamton.edu)

In 1958 I found Ophiogomphus mainensis in five counties in western North Carolina. Because this population seemed highly disjunct from the normal range of the species (northern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey to Maine and eastern Canada), I examined them carefully to see if they were distinct from mainensis, but failed to find a convincing difference.

In 1987 I described fastigiatus as a subspecies of mainensis, occurring in a narrow range from West Virginia and central Pennsylvania to southeastern New York and evidently complicated by hybrid specimens (with mainensis). At the State College meeting of the DSA a few years ago I presented new evidence on fastigiatus, suggesting that it should be raised to species rank, and finding a difference in the immature stage based on reared specimens of fastigiatus from near State College.

Recently I have re-examined the southern specimens of mainensis and found a small, but consistent difference in the male terminal appendages. The epiproct of southern “mainensis” are morphologically separable. At the same time, I have found more apparent intergradaion within the mainensis – fastigiatus populations in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Probably at present the raising of fastigiatus to species status should be delayed in order to better understand the status of these two morphotypes.

Present problems now include: (1) the extent of hybridization between fastigiatus and mainensis, and (2) whether the New River gap has served as an isolating barrier for the southern species of this complex, and whether the southern form should be elevated to species status.

Female specimens have not been shown to be useful for this analysis. The subgenital plate changes during emergence and continues to change as the female matures. The occipital horns are highly variable in reared specimens and evidently broken during mating.

NAVAJO DRAGONFLY: SYMBOL OF WATER, MESSENGER TO THE SPIRITS

Kitty Leaken, Sante Fe, NM (kleaken@gmail.com)

Navajo Dragonfly examines the role of dragonfly in native American art and culture. This article, which was published in Argia’s 29th volume, starts with Harvard zoologist Leland Wyman who conducted a survey in 1948 on the Navajo reservation, asking native informants to identify 801 insect specimens and to provide information about them. It was a new field of study, cultural ethnoentomology, that was part of a prevailing rush to document every aspect of native life under the presumption that all tribes would soon be wiped out. To the contrary, the ‘vanishing Indians' today thrive in many ways. The dragonfly, a major figure in Navajo creation mythology, ceremony and sandpaintings historically, is featured today in the art and jewelry of many cutting edge contemporary artists as well as in the folk tales by young storytellers and pictorial weavings by a new generation of weavers. The dragonfly, to the Navajo, is a symbol of pure water and a messenger to the spirit world, a dazzling reminder of the connectedness of all things.

DETERMINING INDICATORS OF LOCAL SPECIES RESIDENCY USING OPPORTUNISTIC SURVEY DATA OF ODONATA TO INFORM CONSERVATION

Emily Hjalmarson, Brenda Smith-Patten, Jason Bried, and Michael Patten University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (ehjalmarson@ou.edu)

Species occurrence records of dragonflies can answer various important ecological questions, but results differ and are more informative when using data of resident species at a site compared to immigrants. Therefore, collecting physical (exuviae, teneral) or behavioral (pair, ovipositing, etc.) evidence of breeding occurrences is optimal. However, gathering such evidence requires advanced observational and identification skills so relying solely on breeding records yields scarce data. In contrast, adult observations are more numerous and reliably obtained from many sources, causing a dilemma of which data to use. To address this, Bried et al. (2015)* found indicators from adult surveys that predicted exuviae occurrence and therefore residency. We tested their criteria to further examine whether adult surveys predict residency status using teneral presence and other breeding indicators beyond exuviae. We used a larger, multi-year opportunistic dataset of records throughout Oklahoma and examined abundances and observation frequencies for life stages and breeding behavior. Using a similar occupancy modeling framework, we found similar general criteria for our dataset across all species and specific indicator thresholds existing when examining species’ groups separately. Our study provides additional evidence that adult opportunistic data can still be informative when questions require knowledge of site-specific residents. Our results can guide future survey protocol – adult observations can remain the primary focus, which broadens the scope of potential observer skill levels (e.g., citizen scientists) while still indirectly ensuring residency is recorded.

*Bried, Jason, et al. “Criteria to infer local species residency in standardized adult dragonfly surveys.” Freshwater Science 34.3 (2015): 1105-1113.

ASSESSMENT OF LARVAL ODONATES AND OTHER AQUATIC INSECTS INHABITING PASSIVE ABANDONED MINE DRAINAGE REMEDIATION SITES

Lane Loya, Justin Merry, Alyssa Bartlebaugh, Jade Canak, Alyssa Rozich, and Gabriella Scott

Saint Francis University, Loretto, PA (lloya@francis.edu)

Abandoned mine drainage (AMD), which is a significant pollution problem in coal mining regions of the country, can be remediated by constructing passive-flow wetlands. In addition to protecting streams from harmful AMD effluent, these wetlands provide potentially valuable habitat for aquatic wildlife. The purpose of our research was to compare the community of larval odonates and other insects inhabiting AMD-treatment systems to those in non-AMD habitats. We sampled aquatic insects by sweep net at seven AMD treatment sites and four control ponds in western Pennsylvania in spring 2016, and assessed them by comparing total number of individuals, family richness, species richness, and species diversity (Shannon Index). We collected over 1,400 aquatic insects from AMD sites during the study, which represents seven orders and 39 families. Larval odonates comprised 62% of the insects sampled from AMD ponds, with Coenagrionidae (71% of odonates) the most common family collected. Libellulidae (14%), Aeshnidae (11%, including larvae of the Comet Darner, Anax longipes), Corduliidae (2%), Lestidae (1%) and Gomphidae (<1%) were also found inhabiting AMD sites. Overall, we found that aquatic insect communities in AMD remediation systems compared favorably to those in natural ecosystems, at least for some diversity measures. Total insect number and Shannon values were similar among sites, although control ponds did contain slightly higher species and family richness than AMD ponds. Given that odonates were found at every AMD remediation site sampled in our study, we conclude that the construction of AMD treatment wetlands provides important habitat for these insects.

SEXUAL SELECTION AND SPECIES RECOGNITION IN CALOPTERYX DAMSELFLIES

Idelle A. Cooper, Suzanne Allison, Phoebe Cook, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Thomas Getty, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (cooperia@jmu.edu)

Traits used in species recognition and traits used in mate choice are thought to be under contrasting selection pressures, as traits under sexual selection within a species should not interfere with signals of species identity. Conflict between these roles can be avoided if different traits act as signals in each case, but here we consider how a single trait may respond to selection in both cases.

We examined how damselfly wing pigmentation may be used in species recognition in sympatric populations of Calopteryx maculata and C. aequabilis, and how it may also be under sexual selection during mate choice within C. maculata. In a mark-recapture study of C. maculata, which examined which traits in males may be favored in mate choice by females. In caged mating experiments, we tested the role of wing pigmentation in species recognition, using damselflies from allopatric and sympatric populations that showed variation in wing pigmentation.

We found that successfully mated male C. maculata had darker wings, and that that wing pigmentation also functioned in species recognition between C. maculata and C. aequabilis.

Wing pigmentation is under sexual selection in males and under selection for species recognition in females. A single character, therefore, may be under contrasting selection pressures but not conflict due to sexual dimorphism of that trait.

SEXUAL SIZE DIMORPHISM IN DRAGONFLIES IN SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA

Jessica Beard and Deborah Waller, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA (jlbeard@odu.edu)

Dragonflies vary widely in size, both intra- and inter-specifically, and size affects many aspects of their lives, including territoriality in males and fecundity in females. Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) refers to the condition of males and females exhibiting different sizes, and dragonflies and damselflies can show a large range in SSD. In species where there exists a male-biased SSD, this size difference should increase with increasing body size. However, in species with larger females, the SSD should decrease with increasing body size. For dragonflies, there has been some support for this allometric relationship, but it has also not been supported with other studies. In this study, we captured, marked, measured and released several dragonflies in order to record several size parameters. Parameters measured included lengths of total size, abdomen, cerci length, forewing and hindwing lengths and widths, and wet mass. The hypothesis was that territorial species would show the greatest amount of SSD. Sexual size dimorphism was shown to exist based upon a significant difference between males and females from a one-way ANOVA analysis performed on each size parameter for all species.

Results showed that dragonfly males varied significantly among species in all parameters measured, and male-biased SSD was found for some parameters for some of the species. In particular, males and females differed significantly in total size for Pachydiplax longipennis, Perithemis tenera, and Libellula vibrans which are all known territorial species. Also, females of several species had greater forewing and hindwing widths than males, perhaps related to selection for energy conservation in females.