1. We observed that the dragonfly species Sympetrum flaveolum, S. striolatum, S. sanguineum, S. meridionale and S. danae were attracted by polished black gravestones in a Hungarian cemetery. 2. The insects showed the same behaviour as at water: (i) they perched persistently in the immediate vicinity of the chosen gravestones and defended their perch against other dragonflies; (ii) flying indivi...

The ultimate larval stadia of Macrothemis declivata, M. hemichlora, M. imitans imitans and M. tenuis are described and illustrated for the first time, based on material from Brazil. Six of the most used keys to larvae of libellulid genera of the New World are evaluated with respect to the correct identification of the 27 known larvae of Macrothemis, Brechmorhoga, Gynothemis and Scapanea. Macrot...

We developed a molecular assay to detect predation on Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) mosquitoes. This intergenic spacer ribosomal DNA polymerase chain reaction assay and restriction enzyme analysis uses An. gambiae-specific primers to detect mosquito DNA in the DNA extracts from whole invertebrate predators, which enables identification of species (An. gambiae s.s. versus An. arabiensis) a...

The dorsal surfaces of the hindwings of the dragonfly Rhyothemis resplendens (Odonata: Libellulidae) reflect a deep blue from the multilayer structure in its wing membrane. The layers within this structure are not flat, but distinctly 'wrinkled', with a thickness of several hundred nanometres and interwrinkle crest distances of 5 µm and greater. A comparison between the backscattered light from...

The statement that the habitat complexity and structure govern the abundance and diversity of biological communities has been widely investigated. In this context, we assumed the hypothesis of habitat heterogeneity, that is, the higher habitat complexity leads to greater diversity of Odonata. In addition, we analyzed the influence of habitat structure on the distribution of this community, and ...