Larval development and foraging behavior of Erythrodiplax abjecta (Rambur) (Anisoptera: Libellulidae) in captivity

Conductivity and water level modulate developmental plasticity and explain distribution patterns in a diverse neotropical Odonata assemblage

“…larvae grew smaller in jars with a higher water level. It is possible that this species, which emerged from our analyses as a specialist in shallow T pools, may forage more efficiently at low water levels since it is a bottom‐dwelling sit‐and‐wait predator with a shovel‐like appendage (Palacino‐Rodríguez et al, 2020). However, this remains speculative.…”

Captive breeding of odonate larvae: Effects of type of water, handling, and sex

“…In other cases, they were easily frightened by the movements of small prey and instead of consuming them, they fled from them, especially in the hours before and after molting. In any case, most individuals were clearly attracted to prey movement, a fact that is critical to prey location and capture (Palacino‐Rodríguez et al, 2020). Studies have shown that the rate of predation in some insect species is higher in natural environments and that it can decrease when organisms are introduced into laboratory containers (Costamagna & Landis, 2007; Latham & Mills, 2009), perhaps due to habituation to captivity.…”

“…Prey between 0.4 and 0.6 mm long can be used to feed anisopteran odonate larvae from F-12 to F-10 [note that in odonatology it is customary to indicate instars with 'F'; the last instar before adulthood is indicated with F, the penultimate stage is F-1, one stage younger is F-2, and so on; the number of moults is not fixed for a given species], between 1.0 and 1.6 mm to feed larvae from F-9 to F-7, between 2.0 and 3.5 mm for larvae from F-6 to F-4, and between 4.0 and 5.0 mm or longer to feed larvae from F-3 to F-0 (Palacino-Rodríguez et al, 2020). Even flying insects such as adult Diptera (e.g., Drosophillidae, Calliphoridae, and Muscidae), terrestrial Hemiptera (e.g., Myridae), and aquatic Hemiptera (e.g., Corixidae and Notonectidae) (Palacino-Rodríguez et al, 2018) ranging in size between 3 and 16 mm can be used to feed large anisopteran larvae.…”

“…Second, investigating the behavior of larvae in their natural habitat is difficult because larvae cannot be tracked in an environment with large amounts of water, where they can easily become cryptic, and because many species may be largely nocturnal. Thus, individual monitoring under laboratory conditions is the only way to track the precise larval stage and to obtain age‐specific information about larval behavior (Casallas‐Mancipe et al, 2012; Palacino‐Rodríguez et al, 2018, 2020). Therefore, the objectives of this study are (1) to present a laboratory methodology for the individual rearing of odonates from eggs or any larval stage; (2) to compare larval survival to emergence and the duration of larval development in various types of water; and (3) to study the effect of handling of larvae during the cleaning of containers.…”