New data on Odonata fauna of the Drava River basin

Abstract

Odonata are amphibious insects widely used as bioindicators of freshwater ecosystems’ health. Their assemblages at lotic and lentic habitats in the area of the Drava River basin are still not completely known. Therefore, we surveyed Odonata fauna at two Drava River oxbows and the Drava River lower reaches in Croatia and Hungary. We recorded a total of 21 species. Although most of them were generalists, we also documented two species of conservation concern: Sympetrum fonscolombii and Ophiogomphus cecilia. During the fieldwork, we also observed some of the anthropogenic impacts present at studied habitats, such as plastic waste disposal, and removal of riparian vegetation, including the removal of individual tress for purposes of fishing. With this study, we increased our knowledge about Odonata fauna of the Drava River basin. Our data can be used for future monitoring of the recorded species and their habitats.