Damsels in distress: A review of the conservation status of Hawaiian Megalagrion damselflies (Odonata: Coenagrionidae)
✍ Scribed by Dan A. Polhemus
- Book ID
- 101598648
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1993
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 474 KB
- Volume
- 3
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1052-7613
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
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The damselfly genus Megalagrion as presently interpreted contains 23 species and 5 sub-species, all confined to the Hawaiian Islands. Based on current surveys, 23 of these 28 taxa are still extant, although two lowland species, M. xanthomelm and M. pac$cum, appear to be extirpated from certain islands that formerly constituted portions of their original ranges.
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Of the five taxa not yet rediscovered, three ( M . williamsoni, M. amaurodytum fallax and M. amaurodytum waianaeanum) are of questionable taxonomic validity, and the remaining two ( M . jugorum and M. molokaiense) are rare and ecologically specialized species that do not occur near the typical aquatic damselfly habitats most frequently surveyed by collectors.
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The current major threats to Megalagrion species are competition and predation from introduced fish, frog and invertebrate species, and physical destruction of habitats, particularly on the island of Oahu.