Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 July 2023 | 15(7): 23545–23556

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8203.15.7.23545-23556

#8203 | Received 21 November 2022 | Final received 13 June 2023 | Finally accepted 22 June 2023

 

 

A preliminary assessment of Odonata (dragonflies & damselflies) across an elevation gradient – insights from Shiwaliks to Alpines, northwestern Himalaya, India

 

Neeraj Sharma 1, Dinesh Singh 2, Shakha Sharma 3  & Ajaz Ansari 4

 

1,2 Institute of Mountain Environment, University of Jammu, Bhaderwah Campus, Bhaderwah, UT of Jammu & Kashmir 182222, India.

3 Government Gandhi Memorial Science College, Jammu, Jammu, UT of Jammu & Kashmir 180006, India.

4 Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Jammu, Jammu, UT of Jammu & Kashmir 180006, India.

 1 nirazsharma@gmail.com, 2 itzmed12@gmail.com, 3 shakhasharma24@gmail.com (corresponding author), 4 ajazansari90@gmail.com

 

 

 

Abstract: Understanding the species distribution and richness along an environmental gradient helps identify hotspots and prioritize conservation efforts at landscape scale. This is more effective for the species that are indicators of environmental change, such as odonates. As the information about the distribution of this group of insects is scarce in Jammu & Kashmir, their documentation assumes a greater significance.  Here, we present a checklist of odonate species from 23 sites across diverse landscapes in subtropical, temperate, and alpine ecosystems over an elevational gradient of 3,700 m in Jammu division. We recorded 63 species from 39 genera and 11 families, four Anisoptera and seven Zygoptera. The most represented families were Libellulidae (15 genera & 29 species) and Coenagrionidae (five genera & 10 species). The preliminary surveys resulted in addition of 24 new species to the Odanata fauna of Jammu & Kashmir, including three new to the northwestern Himalaya. The study underlines that even opportunistic records are useful in understanding the distribution range and delineating the potential habitats of odonates. The study calls for intensive odonate surveys to better understand their distribution and ecology in hitherto less explored region in the northwestern Himalaya.

 

Keywords: Amphibiotic insects, Anisoptera, Greater Himalaya, mountains, Pir-Panjal, puddles, stream off shoots, summer ditches, Zygoptera

 

 

Editor: Pankaj Koparde, MIT World Peace University, Pune, India.            Date of publication: 26 July 2023 (online & print)

 

Citation: Sharma, N., D. Singh, S. Sharma & A. Ansari (2023). A preliminary assessment of Odonata (dragonflies & damselflies) across an elevation gradient – insights from Shiwaliks to Alpines, northwestern Himalaya, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15(7): 23545–23556. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8203.15.7.23545-23556

 

Copyright: © Sharma et al. 2023. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: The surveys were partly funded by Department of Wildlife Protection, Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir, and

                 Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Author details: Neeraj Sharma is an assistant professor in the faculty of life sciences at Institute of Mountain Environment, University of Jammu where he actively engages in research and scientific outreach on various aspects of mountain ecology and biodiversity involving mammals, birds, and insects. Dinesh Singh is a lecturer in the faculty of life sciences, Institute of Mountain Environment (IME), Bhaderwah Campus of University of Jammu. Aside from his interest in alpine vegetation and flora, he has contributed to the exploration of other animal groups in the region, including mammals, birds, odonata, and butterflies. Shakha Sharma is an assistant professor in the department of Zoology, Govt. Gandhi Memorial Sciences College, Jammu. Besides teaching, she has made significant contributions to the lepidopteran diversity of Jammu and Kashmir including several new distributional records and reports on range extension of butterflies in the region. Ajaz Ansari is a Ph.D scholar currently working on large carnivores in a high altitude protected area in Jammu and Kashmir. He has been instrumental in biodiversity assessment of protected area network in Jammu Shiwaliks and has developed expertise in data analysis and modelling.

 

Author contributions: NS, SS and DS conducted the field surveys and drafted the manuscript; NS and SS conceptualized, designed, and executed the surveys and wrote the manuscript; AA analysed the data, while SS communicated with the journal.

 

Acknowledgements: The authors would like to express their gratitude to Rector, Bhaderwah Campus, University of Jammu, for his administrative support during the surveys. Department of Wildlife Protection, Government of the UT of Jammu & Kashmir and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India are thanked for partly funding the surveys. The authors gratefully appreciate the help rendered by Asha, Anil, Aasma and Vandana for assisting with field surveys and Muzaffar A Kichloo for the preparation of map.

 

 

Introduction

 

The Himalayan Odonata fauna comprises of 257 species in 112 genera and 18 families with 34 species endemic to the Himalayas (Subramaniam & Babu 2018). Though well-documented in the neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the information on the distribution of Odonata in Jammu & Kashmir is scanty. The earlier accounts of Odonata from Jammu & Kashmir dates back to the records of Abott (Calvert 1899), Fraser (1933, 1934, 1936) followed by a few checklists (Singh & Baijal 1954; Asahina 1978; Kumar & Prasad 1981; Carfi et al. 1983; Kumar 1983; Lahiri & Das 1991; Dar et al. 2002; Mitra 2003). Recently, a few surveys have been conducted to describe the diversity and distribution of odonates of Jammu & Kashmir (Subramanian & Babu 2018; Sheikh et al. 2020; Riyaz & Sivasankaran 2021; Quereshi et al. 2022; Kumar et al. 2022). Singh (2022) described 65 species from Jammu & Kashmir based on available literature and the online curated website Odonata of India (https://www.indianodonata.org/) published until 2022.

Geographically, the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir comprises two regions, Jammu & Kashmir characterized by five distinct physiographic units. The Jammu region of Jammu & Kashmir offers a wide range of habitats from the alluvial plains of the Ravi and Chenab rivers in the south to the moderately elevated Shiwaliks, Pir-Panjal, and Greater Himalaya northwards, bordering Kashmir in the north and Ladakh in the north-east. Documenting odonate fauna from such regions becomes important as it helps fill the knowledge gap about distribution of species, which may have conservation implications. To gain a better understanding of the spatial distribution of odonates in the region, we conducted preliminary surveys in seasonal and perennial water bodies in parts of alluvial plains, sub-tropics, lesser, and the Greater Himalaya spanning a vast elevational gradient ranging from 260–3,960 m. The baseline information obtained on the abundance and distribution of 63 species of odonates for the region will be useful for monitoring the health of aquatic ecosystems on spatial and temporal scales.

 

 

Methods

 

We sampled the adult dragonflies in 23 stations: eleven in the subtropics, nine in temperate, and three in alpine habitats in Rajouri, Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua, Doda, and Kishtwar districts of Jammu division in the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir. The subtropical habitats included the alluvial plains and hills and ridges of Jammu Shiwaliks (250–1,150 m). Characterized by dry climate and soils with low water retention capacity, most of the sampled habitats included seasonal ponds, roadside ditches, and streams. The subtemperate and temperate ecosystems in the lesser Himalayas were scanned for forested perennial channels, rivulets, and streams in an elevation range of 1,150 to 3,000 m, while sub alpines and alpines included springs, minor streams, summer ditches, and swamps (3,200–4,200 m) in parts of the Greater Himalaya bordering the Zanskar region of Ladakh (Table 1, Image 1). During a two-year sampling period, we followed an opportunistic sampling strategy and visited all stations twice during summer to monsoon (end of May to mid-September) except for the alpines which were too far apart. The individuals were not counted for abundance and density estimates, however, the frequency of sightings was taken into account for computing the relative frequency. The odonates were categorized as very common (sighted during 75–100 % of the sampling), common (sighted between 50–75 % times), occasional (observed between 25–50 %), and rare (sighted below 25% times) following Adarsh et al. (2014). All the field visits were conducted between 1000 h to 1200 h, when the adult odonates are most active. The individual odonates were photographed and identified to the species level referring to the field guides (Subramanian 2005, 2009; Kiran & Raju 2013; Singh 2022) and curated online platforms like Odonata of India website (https://www.indianodonata.org/). No specimens were, however, collected during the surveys. The species have been enlisted following the systematic arrangement and taxonomy of Subramanian et al. (2018) and Kalkman et al (2020).

 

 

Results

 

A total of 63 odonates (40 dragonflies and 23 damselflies) were recorded from the study area. These belonged to 39 genera and 11 families, four anisopterans and seven zygopterans (Table 2, Figure 2, Images 1–63). In terms of habitat sharing, 50 species were exclusively found to be associated with one of the three ecosystems studied, indicating their limited geographical distribution. The sub-tropical ecosystems harboured high richness (SR = 46) accounting for 73% of the total, followed by temperate (SR = 28, 43%) and alpine (SR = 5, 8%). Fourteen species were found to be common across subtropical and temperate ecosystems, whereas temperate and alpine shared only two species, Cordulegaster brevistigma and Orthetrum internum. Families Calopterygidae, Chlorocyphidae, Chlorocyphidae, and Platycnemididae were confined to subtropical habitats, while Gomphidae, Libellulidae, Coenagrionidae, Euphaeidae, Lestidae, and Synlestidae exhibited affinities for both sub-tropical and temperate climate (Figure 3).

The occurrence data (relative frequency) during the study period shows that 48 species (76%) belonged to occasional and rare (n = 24, each) category. Eleven species were found common and four very common. Orthetrum pruinosum, O. triangulare, and Sympetrum commixtum among the Anisoptera and Amphiallagma parvum among the Zygoptera were the most commonly encountered species during the current sampling. In all, 60 species are classified as ‘Least Concern’ by the IUCN, while three species have not yet been evaluated for their threat status (Table 2). Families Aeshnidae and Libellulidae are found in all three climatic zones, occupying a greater elevational range than other Anisoptera families (Figure 3). Family Cordulegastridae comprising a solitary taxon Cordulegaster brevistigma was restricted to temperate and alpine zones, whilst members of the family Gomphidae were restricted to subtropical and temperate regions. Most of the Zygoptera families occupied subtropical regions, although a few extended their range into sub-temperate and temperate zones (Figure 3).

Twenty-four (10 Anisoptera and 14 Zygoptera) among the 63 species encountered during the surveys are reported for the first time in Jammu & Kashmir, including three new to the northwestern Himalaya. These include Anax indicus, A. nigrolineatus, Anisogomphus bivittatus, Ictinogomphus rapax, Brachydiplax sobrina, Diplacodes nebulosa, Orthetrum taeniolatum, Sympetrum speciosum, Aristocypha trifasciata, Amphiallagma parvum, Agriocnemis pygmaea, Pseudagrion decorum, P. hypermelas, P. microcephalum, P. spencei, Anisopleura comes, A. lestoides, Bayadera indica, Lestes dorothea, Megalestes major, and Drepanosticta carmichaeli. Among these Sympetrum speciosum and Aristocypha trifasciata reported by Singh (2022) are based on the media records of the first author already published in Odonata of India website (https://www.indianodonata.org/). The newly added Odonata fauna to the northwestern Himalaya include Davidius davidii, Tramea transmarina, and Calicnemia imitans (Table 2).

 

Discussion

 

The Anisoptera families Libellulidae (29 species) and Aeshnidae & Gomphidae (5 species, each) accounted for nearly 62% of all species observed during the current sampling. Four families (Cordulegastridae, Calopterygidae, Lestidae, and Synlestidae) and 24 genera were monotypic indicating their restricted distribution in the region. Libellulidae and Gomphidae are well-distributed (Subramanian 2005) Anisoptera across the Indian subcontinent. The widespread dispersal and distribution may be attributed to the larger body size of species in these families  (Dalzochio et al.  2011). The habitat heterogeneity and varying microclimatic regime sustain a high species richness and diversity (Cramer & Willig 2005; Storch et al. 2023) among different groups of animals. High species richness has been recorded from the small water bodies like rivulets, and streams as they create conducive microhabitats suitable for their survival as observed by Arunima & Nameer (2021), Chandran & Chandran (2021) Chandran et al. (2021), and Thakuria & Kalita (2021) as well. Key conditions for many species include shading around water bodies, specific vegetation structure for breeding and oviposition or nymphal microhabitat availability (Rantala et al. 2004; Cheri & Finn 2023). Subtropical ecosystems supported more odonates than temperate and alpine habitats, indicating a declining trend in species richness with increasing elevation as reported in other insect groups (Vetaas et al. 2019, Fontana et al. 2020; Dewan et al. 2022). No damselfly was found above 2,200 m in the current sampling effort (Figure 3). This does not, however, elude their presence in sub-alpine and alpine climate zones, as these landscapes were not visited as frequently as subtropical and temperate ones were.

Singh (2022) described 184 odonate species from north-western region of India, including 65 from the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. During their explorations in selected localities of the Jammu division, Kumar et al. (2022) observed 32 odonate species, 25 of which are new to Jammu & Kashmir. This communication adds 24 more species to odonate fauna of Jammu & Kashmir, including three new to the northwestern Himalaya. This trend may be explained by the fact that the area has been less explored for Odonata. Recent studies conducted in the Himalaya reveals that Odonata fauna of the region is threatened due to habitat destruction, agricultural expansion, pesticides, tourism, urban and industrial pollution (Subramanian & Babu 2018; De et al. 2021) and this holds true for the study area.  Aquatic ecosystems are spatially and temporally constrained (De et al. 2021), and the sites of current explorations are found in close proximity to human settlements, roads and highways making them vulnerable to management activities that threaten the existence of aquatic biodiversity including odonates. Most roadside ditches are being destroyed by road expansions, ponds are being encroached upon for land reclamation, and rivers and streams are being exposed to sand extraction and increased pollutant loads.

In terms of the occurrence data, 48 species belonged to occasional and rare categories. Arunima & Nameer (2021) in their observations recorded a moderately high number of occasional and rare species. Interestingly, all taxa found during the sampling figure in the least concern category of conservation (IUCN 2023) indicating a stable worldwide population. The study though preliminary with limited area coverage and ecological scope has unveiled vital information regarding the distribution of the observed odonate species in the heterogenous landscapes of northwestern Himalaya. Though the current observations on the Odonata do not necessarily provide a complete checklist for the region, they do add to the knowledge of the insect fauna of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. More systematic research on odonate assemblages and seasonality is needed to describe the ecology and biomonitoring of their habitats in the region as macroinvertebrates are standard bioindicators of freshwater ecosystems (Barbour et al. 1999).

 

Table 1. Spatial attributes of sampling locations, including geomorphological features and the degree of disturbance.

Climate zones   

Sampling sites / District

Geo co-ordinates *

Elevation

(in m) *

 Habitat description

Disturbance

Subtropical zone

1.Gharana and associated wetlands in agricultural landscape, Jammu

32.540oN,

74.690o E

260

A vast agriculture landscape comprised of a protected wetland, marshlands, ditches, channels, and paddy fields

High

2.GGM Science College, Jammu

32.724o N,

74.851o E

302

Botanical Garden and college lawns

Moderate

3. Kathua town, Kathua

32.367 o N,

75.525 o E

318

Urban drain dissecting the twon

High

4.Trikutanagar, Jammu

32.685o N,

74.879o E

320

Urban storm water drain

High

5. Nowshera, Rajouri

33.149 o N,

74.234 o E

543

Urban drain at the confluence with a perennial stream

High

6. Jasrota WLS / Ujh Barrage, Kathua

32.474o N,

75.417o E

382

A lacustrine ecosystem surrounded with plantations, farmlands and habitations.

Low

7. Thein Conservation Reserve, Kathua

32.446o N,

75.721o E

518

A terrestrial protected area bounded by a reservoir eastward.

Low

8. Surinsar, Jammu

32.770o N,

75.041o E

605

Medium sized lake, seasonal ponds and channels 

Moderate

9. Battal, Udhampur

32.672o N,

75.264o E

630

Streams, roadside water channels and ditches

Low

10. Mansar, Udhampur

32.696o N,

75.145o E

662

Large water body, ponds, and ditches

Moderate

11. Samroli, Udhampur

33.002o N,

75.206o E

845

Seasonal and perennial streams, ditches, and roadside drains

Moderate

Subtemperate / Temperate zone

12. Pranoo, Doda

33.097o N,

75.580o E

1210

Neeru stream, main channel

Low

13. Bhalla, Doda

33.068o N,

75.613o E

1270

Neeru stream and tributaries

Low

14. Khellani, Doda

33.132o N,

75.500o E

1350

Streams, roadside water channels, and springs

Low

15. Batote, Doda

33.106o N,

75.341o E

1430

Roadside springs, water channels and rivulets

Moderate

16. Phalni, Rajouri

33.361oN,

74.621o E

1440

A fish farm housing Indian Major Carps adjacent to trout raceways of state fisheries department.

Low

17. Bhaderwah, Doda

32.969o N,

75.718o E

1714

Springs, water channels and ditches in Bhaderwah Campus, seasonal channels

Low

18. Kundail, Kishtwar

33.331o N,

76.204o E

2075

Bhot stream and springs

Low

19. Thanthera, Doda

32.918o N,

75.723o E

2155

Basti stream and roadside springs

Low

20. Chasoti, Kishtwar

33.374o N,

76.275o E

2356

A typical mountain village with terrace farmlands

Low

Subalpine / Alpine zone

21. Suncham, Kishtwar

32.429o N,

76.410o E

3260

Bhot stream, its tributary Hagshu, springs and channels.

Low

22. Tun, Kishtwar

33.208o N,

76.396o E

3345

Sansari stream, seasonal ditches, and springs

Low

23. Kailash Lake, Doda

32.871o N,

75.699o E

3960

Natural springs and rivulets

Low

 

 

Table 2. Checklist of odonates in the three distinct ecosystems in Jammu division of Jammu & Kashmir depicting distribution, relative frequency and threat status.

 

Suborder / Family / Species

Distribution

Relative frequency

IUCN Red List status

Image number

ST

TM

AL

Suborder : Anisoptera (Dragonflies)

Family : Aeshnidae

1.

Aeshna juncea (Bartenef, 1929)

-

-

+

RA

LC

1

2.

Anax immaculifrons (Rambur, 1842)

+

-

-

OC

LC

2

3.

Anax indicus (Lieftinck, 1942)*

+

-

-

RA

LC

3

4.

Anax nigrolineatus (Fraser, 1935)*

-

+

-

OC

LC

4

5.

Anax parthenope (Selys, 1839)

-

+

-

RA

LC

5

Family : Cordulegastridae

6.

Cordulegaster brevistigma (Selys, 1854)

-

+

+

OC

LC

6

Family : Gomphidae

7.

Anisogomphus bivittatus (Selys, 1854)*

-

+

-

OC

LC

7

8.

Davidius davidii (Selys, 1878)**

-

+

-

RA

LC

8

9.

Ictinogomphus rapax (Rambur, 1842)*

+

-

-

OC

LC

9

10.

Ophiogomphus reductus (Calvert, 1898)

-

+

-

OC

LC

10

11.

Paragomphus lineatus (Selys, 1850)

+

+

-

OC

LC

11

Family : Libellulidae

12

Acisoma panorpoides (Rambur, 1842)      

+

-

-

RA

LC

12

13

Brachythemis contaminata (Fabricius, 1793)

+

-

-

OC

LC

13

14

Brachydiplax sobrina (Rambur, 1842)*

+

-

-

RA

LC

14

15

Bradinopyga geminata (Rambur, 1842)

+

-

-

OC

LC

15

16

Crocothemis erythraea (Brullé, 1832)

+

-

-

OC

LC

16

17

Crocothemis servilia (Drury, 1770)

+

+

-

CO

LC

17

18

Diplacodes lefebvrii (Rambur, 1842)

+

-

-

OC

LC

18

19

Diplacodes nebulosa (Fabricius, 1793)*

+

-

-

RA

LC

19

20

Libellula quadrimaculata (Linnaeus, 1758)      

-

+

-

RA

LC

20

21

Neurothemis tullia (Drury, 1773)

+

-

-

RA

LC

21

22

Orthetrum cancellatum (Linnaeus, 1758)

-

+

-

RA

LC

22

23

Orthetrum glaucum (Brauer, 1865)

-

+

-

OC

LC

23

24

Orthetrum internum (McLachlan, 1894)

-

+

+

CO

NE

24

25

Orthetrum luzonicum (Brauer, 1868)

-

+

-

CO

LC

25

26

Orthetrum pruinosum (Burmeister, 1839)

+

+

-

VC

LC

26

27

Orthetrum sabina (Drury, 1770)

+

-

-

CO

LC

27

28

Orthetrum taeniolatum (Schneider, 1845)*

+

-

-

RA

LC

28

29

Orthetrum triangulare (Selys, 1878)

+

+

-

VC

LC

29

30

Palpopleura sexmaculata (Fabricius, 1787)

+

+

-

CO

LC

30

31

Pantala flavescens (Fabricius, 1798)

+

-

-

OC

LC

31

32

Rhyothemis triangularis (Kirby, 1889)

+

-

-

RA

LC

32

33

Rhyothemis variegata (Linnaeus, 1763)

+

-

-

OC

LC

33

34

Sympetrum commixtum (Selys, 1884)

-

-

+

VC

LC

34

35

Sympetrum fonscolombii (Selys, 1840)

-

+

-

RA

LC

35

36

Sympetrum speciosum (Oguma, 1915)*

-

-

+

CO

NE

36

37

Tramea transmarina (Selys, 1878)**

-

+

-

OC

LC

37

38

Tramea virginia (Rambur, 1842)

+

+

-

OC

LC

38

39

Trithemis aurora (Burmeister, 1839)

+

-

-

OC

LC

39

40

Trithemis festiva (Rambur, 1842)

+

+

-

CO

LC

40

Suborder : Zygoptera (Damselflies)

Family : Calopterygidae

41

Neurobasis chinensis (Linnaeus, 1758)

+

-

-

RA

LC

41

Family : Chlorocyphidae

42

Aristocypha trifasciata (Selys, 1853)*

+

-

-

OC

LC

42

43

Aristocypha quadrimaculata (Selys, 1853)

+

-

-

CO

LC

43

44

Paracypha unimaculata (Selys, 1853)

+

-

-

RA

LC

44

45

Libellago lineata (Burmeister, 1839)

+

-

-

OC

LC

45

Family : Coenagrionidae

46

Amphiallagma parvum (Selys, 1876)*

+

+

-

VC

LC

46

47

Agriocnemis pygmaea (Rambur, 1842)*

+

-

-

RA

LC

47

48

Ceriagrion coromandelianum (Fabricius, 1798)

+

-

-

CO

LC

48

49

Ischnura forcipata (Morton, 1907)

+

+

-

CO

LC

49

50

Ischnura rubilio (Selys, 1876)

+

+

-

OC

NE

50

51

Pseudagrion decorum (Rambur, 1842)*

+

-

-

RA

LC

51

52

Pseudagrion hypermelas (Selys, 1876)*

+

-

-

RA

LC

52

53

Pseudagrion microcephalum (Rambur, 1842)*

+

-

-

RA

LC

53

54

Pseudagrion rubriceps (Selys, 1876)

+

+

-

OC

LC

54

55

Pseudagrion spencei (Fraser, 1922)*

+

-

-

OC

LC

55

Family : Euphaeidae

56

Anisopleura comes (Hagen,1880)*

+

+

-

RA

LC

56

57

Anisopleura lestoides (Selys,1853)*

-

+

-

OC

LC

57

58

Bayadera indica (Selys, 1853)*

+

-

-

RA

LC

58

Family : Lestidae

59

Lestes dorothea (Fraser, 1924)* 

+

+

-

OC

LC

59

Family : Synlestidae

60

Megalestes major (Selys, 1862)*

+

+

-

CO

LC

60

Family : Platycnemididae

61

Calicnemia imitans (Lieftinck, 1948)**

+

-

-

RA

LC

61

62

Copera marginipes (Rambur, 1842)

+

-

-

RA

LC

62

63

Drepanosticta carmichaeli (Laidlaw, 1915)*

+

-

-

RA

LC

63

+—presence | -—absence | ST—Sub-tropical | TM—Subtemperate / Temperate zone | AL—Alpine zone |

OC—Occasional | CO—Common | VC—Very Common | RA—Rare | LC—Least Concern | NE—Not Evaluated | *—Addition to the Odonata fauna of Jammu & Kashmir | **—Addition to the Odonata fauna of northwestern Himalaya, India.

 

 

For figures & images - - click here for full PDF

 

 

References

 

Adarsh, C.K., K.S. Aneesh & P.O. Nameer (2014). A preliminary checklist of odonates in Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) campus, Thrissur District, Kerala, southern India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 6(8): 6127–6137. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3491.6127-37

Arunima, J. & P.O. Nameer (2021). A preliminary checklist of dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Vakkom Grama Panchayath, Thiruvanthapuram District, Kerala, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(8): 19125–19136. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7311.13.8.19125-19136

Asahina, S. (1978). A new and some known species of odonata from Kashmir (Insecta), Senckenbergian Biology 59 : 115–120.

Barbour, M.T., J. Gerritsen, B.D. Snyder & J.B. Stribling (1999).  Rapid bioassessment protocols for use in streams and wadeable Rivers: Periphyton, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish, 2nd ed.; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water: Washington, DC,USA.

Cramer, M.J. & M.R. Willig (2005). Habitat heterogeneity, species diversity and null models. Oikos 108(2): 209–218. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0030-1299.2005.12944.x

Calvert, P.P. (1899). Odonata (dragonflies) from the Indian Ocean, and from Kashmir, collected by Dr. W.L. Abott, pp. 141–154. In: Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadephia.

Carfi, S., C.P. Del & F. Terzani (1983). Odonata captured in Jammu and Kashmir Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh India, Giornale Italiano di Entomologia 1(5): 261–264.

Chandran, R. & A.V. Chandran (2021). Dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Aryanad Grama Panchayat, Kerala, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(14): 20153–20166. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7342.13.14.20153-20166

Chandran, A.V., S.K. Jose & S.V. Gopalan (2021). Dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of the Kole Wetlands, Central Kerala, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(3): 17963–17971. https://doi. org/10.11609/jott.5885.13.3.17963-17971

Cheri, C.R. & D.S. Finn (2023). Odonata as Indicators? Dragonflies and Damselflies Respond to Riparian Conditions along Ozark Spring Streams. Hydrobiology 2: 260–276. https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrobiology2010017

Dar, G.A., R.C. Bhagat & M.A. Khan (2002). Biodiversity of the Kashmir Himalaya. Valley Book House, Srinagar, India, 399 pp.

Dalzochio, M.S., J.M. Costa & M.A. Uchôa (2011). Diversity of Odonata (Insecta) in lotic systems from Serra da Bodoquena, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 55(1): 88–94.

De, K., S. Bhatt, A.P. Singh, M. Uniyal & V.P. Uniyal (2021). Checklist of Odonata (Insecta) of Doon Valley, Uttarakhand, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(14): 20167–20173. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7518.13.14.20167-20173

Dewan, S., J.N. Sanders & B.K. Acharya (2022). Turnover in butterfly communities and traits along an elevational gradient in the Eastern Himalaya, India. Ecosphere 13(3): e3984. https:// doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3984

Fontana, V., E. Guariento, A. Hilpold, G. Niedrist, M. Steinwandter, D. Spitale, J. Nascimbene, U. Tappeiner & J. Seeber (2020). Species richness and beta diversity patterns of multiple taxa along an elevational gradient in pastured grasslands in the European Alps. Scientific Reports 10: 1–11.

Fraser, F. (1933). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma, Odonata Volume-I. Taylor and Francis Ltd., London.

Fraser, F. (1934). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma, Odonata Volume-II. Taylor and Francis Ltd., London.

Fraser, F. (1936). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma, Odonata Volume-III. Taylor and Francis Ltd., London.

IUCN (2023). International Union for Conservation of Nature. https://www.iucnredlist.org. Assessed on 12 January 2023.

Kalkman, V.J., R. Babu, M. Bedjanič, K. Conniff, T. Gyeltshen, M.K. Khan, K.A. Subramanian, A. Zia & A.G. Orr (2020). Checklist of the dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Zootaxa 4849(1): 001–084. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4849.1.1

Kiran, C.G. & D.V. Raju (2013). Dragonflies and Damselflies of Kerala (Keralathile Thumbikal). Tropical Institute of Ecological Sciences, 156 pp.

Kumar, A. (1983). An annotated list of odonatan from the Jammu region (Western Himalaya, Jammu & Kashmir), India. Fraseria 4: 15–16.

Kumar, A.M. & M. Prasad (1981). Field ecology, zoogeography and taxonomy of the Odonata of western Himalaya, India, Records of the Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper No. 20: 1–118.

Kumar, K., A.P. Singh & R. Singh (2022). The Diversity of Odonata (Insecta) in Selected Localities of Jammu and Kashmir. Indian Forester 148(5): 547–551. https://doi.org/10.36808/if/2022/v148i5/156920

Lahiri, A.R. & S. Das (1991). Observation on the epicranio-orbital complex of some Indian Aeshninae (Odonata: Aeshnidae). Records of the Zoological Survey of India 89(1–4): 155–166.

Mitra, T.R. (2003). Ecology and biogeography of Odonata with special reference to Indian Fauna, Records of the Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper No. 202. 41 pp.

Qureshi, A.A., N.A. Paray, R.M. Khandi, S. Syeed & R.A. Ganai (2022). Diversity of Odonata of District Pulwama of Kashmir. Indian Journal of Entomology e21116. https://doi.org/10.55446/IJE.2021.131.

Rantala, M.J., J. Ilmonen, J. Koskimäki, J. Suhonen & K. Tynkkynen (2004). The macrophyte, Stratiotes aloides, protects larvae of dragonfly Aeshna viridis against fish predation. Aquatic Ecology 38: 77–82.

Riyaz, M. & K. Sivasankaran (2021). A Preliminary survey of Dragonflies and Damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) in and around Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary Shopian, Kashmir. Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences 14(1): 133–139. https://doi.org/10.21608/EAJBSA.2021.157352

Sheikh, A.H., M.A. Lone & M.A. Wani (2020). New distributional records of dragonflies (Libellulidae: Anisoptera: Odonata) from Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. Journal of the Entomological Research Society 44(1): 121–124.

Singh, S. & H.N. Bajjal (1954). Entomological Survey of the Himalayas II- on a collection of Odonata. Agra University Journal of Research (Science) 3: 385–400.

Singh, D. (2022). Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of North west India. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun, 518 pp.

Storch, F., S. Boch, M.M. Gossner, H. Feldhaar, C. Ammer, P. Schall, A. Polle, F. Kroiher, J. Müller & J. Bauhus (2023). Linking structure and species richness to support forest biodiversity monitoring at large scales. Annals of Forest Science 80: 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-022-01169-1

Subramanian, K.A. (2005). Dragonflies and Damselflies of Peninsular India - A Field Guide. Gadgil, M. (ed.). The Project Lifescape Series. Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, India, 118 pp.

Subramaniam, K.A. (2009). Dragonflies of India: A Field Guide. Vigyan Prasar, Noida, 168 pp.

Subramanian, K.A. & R. Babu (2018). Insecta: Odonata, pp. 227–240. In: Chandra, K., D. Gupta, K.C. Gopi, B. Tripathy & V. Kumar (eds.). Faunal Diversity of Indian Himalaya. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 872 pp.

Subramanian, K.A., K.G. Emiliyamma, R. Babu, C. Radhakrishnan & S.S. Talmale (2018). Atlas of Odonata (Insecta) of the Western Ghats, India. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 417 pp.

Thakuria, D. & J. Kalita (2021). Diversity and distribution of odonates in Rani Reserve Forest, Assam, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(1): 17487–17503. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5964.13.1.17487-17503

Vetaas, O.R., K.P. Paudel & M.Christensen (2019). Principal factors controlling biodiversity along an elevation gradient: water, energy and their interaction. Journal of Biogeography 46: 1652–1663.