Odonata fauna of Sri Lanka: research state and threat status

Bedjanič, M.

doi:10.1080/13887890.2004.9748216

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Ana. indicus generally oviposits in richly vegetated tanks and lakes in the dry lowlands of the island and in montane areas, where suitable still water habitats are present making it one of the abundant dragonfly species in rural and semiurban environments [28]. However, the availability of such habitats is limited in urban settings, highlighting the need for conservation of lowland wetlands and other stagnated aquatic habitats, to promote the natural distribution of this species as a biological control agent against dengue vectors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…G. dravida is distributed over low country, covering both wet and dry zones around swamps and tanks with weedy vegetation, and is often found inside houses as it is attracted to lights at night. The adults of those remain mostly active at dusk [28]. Therefore, this species has a high potential for predating upon both larvae and adults of Aedes mosquitoes, during its larval and adult stages in reducing Aedes populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Larvicidal Potential of Five Selected Dragonfly Nymphs in Sri Lanka over Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) Larvae under Laboratory Settings

Samanmali

Udayanga

Ranathunge

et al. 2018

BioMed Research International

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Introduction Limitations in breeding source reduction practices, development of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes, and ill effects of chemical controlling methods on human and ecosystem health have motivated Sri Lankan authorities working for dengue control to seek for alternative, ecofriendly, and sustainable approaches for controlling of Aedes vectors, to manage dengue epidemics. The present study attempted to investigate the predation efficiency of locally available dragonfly nymphs over Aedes aegypti under laboratory conditions, aiming to evaluate the potential of using dragonflies as biocontrol agents against dengue. Methods Nymphal stages of five locally abundant dragonfly species were collected from different stagnated water bodies in Belihuloya area. After morphological identification, a well grown individual of each species was starved for 12 hours and introduced into a glass tank containing 1L of pond water with 200 larvae (4th instar) of Aedes aegypti. Number of larvae survived in the tank was enumerated hourly up to 48 hours. In case where >75% of larvae are consumed by dragonfly nymphs, additional Ae. aegypti larvae were introduced into such tanks. Experiment was repeated for five times. Same procedure was followed with different stages of growth of the dragonfly nymphs characterized by the highest predation rate. General Linear Model followed by Tukey's pairwise comparison was used for statistical analysis. Results The predation rates of different dragonfly species varied significantly (p<0.05), whereby Anax indicus (110±7.14 per day) indicated the highest, followed by Pantala flavescens (54.07±5.15) and Gynacantha dravida (49.00±11.89), while Tholymis tillarga (23.47±2.48) had the lowest. Further, significant variations in the larval predation were found among different maturity stages (10–20; 25-35; and 35–45 mm in body length) of Ana. indicus (p<0.05). Regardless of statistical significance, a relatively higher larvicidal activity was observed at dusk than in dawn. Conclusion. Ana. indicus, which is characterized by the highest predation rate, and P. flavescens that has the widest geographical distribution within Sri Lanka along with a notable predation efficacy could be recommended as potential candidates for field trials in biological control of dengue outbreaks via suppression of Ae. aegypti larvae.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Larvicidal Potential of Five Selected Dragonfly Nymphs in Sri Lanka over Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) Larvae under Laboratory Settings

Samanmali

Udayanga

Ranathunge

et al. 2018

BioMed Research International

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“…Of the three endemic Anisopteran species recorded, C. gynostylus and M. lankanensis are listed as vulnerable species in the IUCN Redlist of 2010. Also, both of these species have been stated as a taxonomically isolated group by Bedjanic (2004). It is of great significance that the two vulnerable species recorded in the study area are the same and the only two vulnerable species recorded in the checklist of Sri Lanka (IUCN, 2007).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently, 120 Odonate species have been identified in Sri Lanka of which 55 are Zygopterans belonging to 8 families and 65 are Anisopterans belonging to 4 families (Bedjanic, 2006;IUCN, 2007). This contains 57 endemic, 13 critically endangered, 5 endangered and 2 vulnerable species (IUCN, 2010) making the Odonate fauna in Sri Lanka a very threatened insect group (Bedjanic, 2004). The present study, therefore, was carried out in order to identify the Odonata species present in Meegahawatta wetland area as it is a locality which provides suitable habitats for a large number of fauna including Odonates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In several countries, these insects are being used as an important ecological tool to assess the quality of aquatic ecosystems such as streams, rivers, and lakes because of their high sensitivity to human disturbances (Fulan et al, 2010 Even though the Odonate fauna all over the world is well-known (Arulprakash and Gunathilagaraj, 2010), there are many gaps in the knowledge of Sri Lankan odonate fauna (Bedjanic, 2004). Currently, 120 Odonate species have been identified in Sri Lanka of which 55 are Zygopterans belonging to 8 families and 65 are Anisopterans belonging to 4 families (Bedjanic, 2006;IUCN, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Species Composition of Odonate Fauna in Meegahawatta, a Wetland Area in Hanwella, Sri Lanka

Lankika

Karunaratne

Conniff

2012

JTFE

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Approximately 120 species of Odonata (Zygoptera and Anisoptera) have been recorded in Sri Lanka to date. There are many gaps in our knowledge of Odonata taxonomy and distribution. The present study, therefore, was carried out to investigate adult Odonata species present in Meegahawatta area (1000m 2 ) in Hanwella. The study was carried out using two fixed quadrats (20m x 10m) randomly established in two selected sites. Total number of individuals belonging to each species was counted fortnightly by using binoculars. A total of 27 species, 11 Zygoptera and 16 Anisoptera representing eight families were recorded. This comprised of three endemic Zygopteran species (Libellago adami, Pseudagrion rubiceps ceylonicum and Prodasineura sita) and three endemic anisopteran species (Epopthalmia vittata cyanocephala, Cyclogomphus gynostylus and Macrogomphus lankanensis). Among those identified was one recently discovered and yet un-described Archibasis species. Of the three endemic Anisopteran species recorded, C. gynostylus and M. lankanensis are listed as vulnerable species in the IUCN Redlist of 2010. Although the Zygopterans showed higher Diversity Index and Evenness Index (H'= 1.99, E= 0.83) than the Anisopterans (H'=1.96, E= 0.32), their Richness Index (R=1.67) was less than that of the Anisopterans (R= 2.49). The most common Zygopteran species recorded was Pseudagrion malabaricum whereas Neurothemis tulia tulia was the most common anisopteran species.

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