Four species of Odonata new to British Columbia, Canada 4 R.A. Cannings¹,S.G. Cannings²,L.R. Ramsay³ and G.E. Hutchings 1 Royal British Columbia Museum, 675 Belleville Street, Victoria, British Columbia,V8W 9W2, Canada 2 NatureServe Yukon, Yukon Department of Environment, Box 2703, Whitehorse, Yukon Terri- tory, Y1A 2C6, Canada 3 British Columbia Conservation Data Centre, British Columbia Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management,P.O. Box 9358, Stn. Prov. Govt., Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 9M2, Canada 4 971 Arundel Drive, Victoria, British Columbia,V9A 2C4, Canada Abstract –- Between 1998 and 2000, 5 odon. bia each is recorded from a handful of localities added the list of British Columbia. in mountain and northern spp. were to peatlands. The collection data for one of these, Somato- chlora have been Introduction kennedyi, previously published by R.D. Kenner (2000, J. ent. Soc. Br. Colwnb. Between 1996 and 2003, the Royal British Co- 97: 47-49). The present known distribution, sta- lumbia Museum (RBCM) and the British Co- tus and habitat of Calopteryx aequabilis Say, lumbia Conservation Data Centre (BCCDC) Lestes Somatochlora brev- collaborated in of the Odonata of forcipatus Ramb., surveys sev- icincta Robert and S. forcipata (Scudder) are eral regions of British Columbia (BC), Cana- discussed. C. aequabilis is recorded from only da - the Georgia Depression of the southwest one locality in the extreme S of the province; coast (1996), the Okanagan drainage(1997), the it is a red-listed sp. of management concern. L. Peace River-Fort Nelson region (1997), the Co- forcipatus is common in certain types of rich lumbia-Kootenay region (1998-99) and central fens the it had been overlooked and northwestern BC The across province; (2000-2003). surveys previously because of its close similarity to the were designed to improve understanding of the widespread and abundant L. disjunctus Sel.. S. distribution, status and habitat requirements brevicincta and S. forcipata are known mainly of species and to foster public education about from eastern North America; in British Colum- dragonflies. Our improved knowledge of all Nolul. Vol, No. June 2005 46 odonatol., 6, 5, pp. 45-52, 1, species encountered has resulted in more realis- Species new to British Columbia tic conservation priorities than was possible be- — Calopteryx aequabilis Say fore the inventories (CANNINGS et ah, 1998; Calopteryx represents a new family of Odonata CANNINGS et ah, 2000; RAMSAY & CAN- for BC, the Calopterygidae. C. aequabilis is pri- NINGS, 2004). marily an eastern North American species rang- One of the five species, Somatochlora ing west in the southern boreal forest to central kennedyi Walker, had been collected at Loon Alberta and with a few outlying populations in Lake in the Yukon Territory within 3 km of the the western United States. It had been record- BC border et and from to (CANNINGS ah, 1991) ed as close BC as Stevens County, Washing- the southern Northwest Territories (WALKER ton (PAULSON, 1997) and for several decades & and had that it lived in CORBET, 1975) thus, was a target spe- we suspected streams near cies the 1997 in northeastern BC. the of Grand Forks north of the during surveys town just US recorded that fen had find Only onewas year at a sedge boundary. However, we not managedto near Andy Bailly Provincial Park, SE of Fort it there until VI1-1999, when one of us (LRR) Nelson (25-VI-1997, RDK [IS, University of discovered it along Christina Creek, the outlet BC]). As this first provincial record has already of Christina Lake (49°02’30”N, 118°12’17”W). been published (KENNER, 2000), S. kennedyi In BC, the flight period has not been well-doc- will be further treated it but from not here, although umented, probably lasts mid-June un- should be noted that between 2001 and 2003 it til early September(CANNINGS, 2002). None was collected at seven more localities, fromFort were observed on 15-V1 (2002), but on 19-VII St James (54°I0’N) in the South to Blue Lake (1999), 25 males and 3 females were counted. By (59°49’N) in the North. 7-VI1I (1999) the numbers were waning; only 6 In to - 1998, three species new BC Calop- males and 3 females were counted. Oviposi- Lestes Rambur tion teryx aequabilis Say, forcipatus was observed on 17-VIII (1999) (recorded and Somatochlora — in forcipata (Scudder) were Potamogeton illinoensis, anaquatic plant un- recorded in the Columbia River Basin (exclu- common in BC), but this was near the end of sive of the River the - two Okanagan drainage). In BC flight season only males and one fe- this area occupies much of the southeastern male were observed on this date. In Washington part of the province and is commonly called State, the recorded flight period is 6-VI to 2-IX the Columbia-Kootenay Region after the Co- (PAULSON, 1999), lumbia River and its main Canadian tributary, Selected specimen records (all Christina the Kootenay River. In 2000, continuing inven- Creek): 19-VII-1999, LRR (3d, 19); 7-VIII- tory focused on the Upper Fraser River Basin, -1999, SGC (Id, 19); 22-VI-2000, LRR (Id); centred on Prince George in the middle of the 15-VI1-2004, KMN, RDK, JH (3d, 19, Uni- province. The first specimens of Somatochlora versity of BC) brevicincta Robert in BC were collected during Populations are not large; 28 adults were re- this work. corded 19-VII-1999. on During a survey on data Collectors listed by initials in collection 15 and 16-VII-2004, only 13 individuals were - below: APH A.P Harcombe; CS - C. Shank; counted along the whole 4 km of Christina - CSG - C.S. GAA G.A. Guppy; Archard; Creek (J. Heron, pers. comm.). Western popula- GEH - G.E. HK tions Hutchings; - H. Knight; IH of the species are quite irregularly distrib- - -1. Hatter; JH J. Heron; JT J. Tuck; JV - J. uted, and this population is probably isolated - - Vinnedge; KMN K.M. Needham; LRR from the nearest onesin Washington State. Be- - - L.R. Ramsay; LW L. Westereng; RAC R.A. cause the small, isolated populationis restricted - RDK R.D. — Cannings; Kenner; SEC S. E. to a single locality in BC and because there is Coates; SGC — S.G. Cannings; SWD - S.W potential for damage to this site. C. aequabilis - Dunkle; TV T. Vogt. Except those otherwise isassigned a provincial conservation status rank indicated, all specimens noted are housed in of SI and placed on the Red List of species of Columbia the Royal British Museum, Victoria, conservation concern(BCCDC, 2003). BC. Christina Creek is the only known locality for Notul. Vol. odonatoi, 6, No. 5, pp, 45-52, June 1, 2005 47 in BC. Much of the site is C. aequabilis private- 2004 it was recorded in the southeastern Yukon ly owned and none of it is formally protected, (Watson Lake, 8-VI1I-04, SGC [12]). conservation although covenants are pending. L. forcipalusis not as rare as records suggest; The protection of the riparian zone and the it has been confused with the much more com- maintenance of a relatively undisturbed edge mon and abundant L. disjunclus. which it close- along the creek are critical for the damselfly, es- ly resembles. Males are so similar to those of L. because it the pecially uses vegetation overhang- disjunctus that unless a female (which is more ing the stream for roosting and floating mats of easily identified than the male) is collected, the vegetation for recrea- be overlooked. Some of old oviposition. Controlling species may our tional activities along the stream is also impor- museum specimens of L. disjunctus have been Of is the re-identified — tant. particular concern common use as L. forcipatus e.g., Qualicum of personal watercraft along the shallow creek Beach, Hamilton Marsh, 15-VIII-1986, RAC - the wakes from these craft collapse the banks (Id, 19); Bowser, I6-VIII-1986, RAC (Id, and damage streamside vegetation. Significant 12); Clearwater River, Shadow Lake, 14-VIII- of introduced populations species are also con- 1988, RAC, SGC, HK (Id, 32); Cobble Hill, servation issues. Fishes such as Largemouth Spectacle Lake, 28-VII-1996, GEH (Id, 12). Bass (Micropterus salmoides), Smallmouth Bass SIMAIKA & CANNINGS (2004) discuss the (M. dolomieui). Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbo- characters that best separate males of the two sus). Yellow Perch (Percaflavescens), and Carp species. (Cyprinus carpio) are present. The direct and WALKER (1953) described L. forcipatus indirect effects of the Eurasian habitat both aquatic weed, as “ponds, temporary and perma- Milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), which is de- nent, marshy lakes, and slow, weedy streams.” scribed as being “out of control” at the south In BC, our recent studies have found it mostly end of Christina Lake, are unknown. (CAN- in fens dominated by Carex and/or Menyanthes, NINGS, 2003). often in the presence of emergent aquatic moss. In BC the recorded flight period is 23-VI to 4- — Lestes forcipalus Rambur -IX. This is a widespread eastern North American species that was first collected in Washington — Somatochlora forcipata (Scudder) State in 1997; at the time, this was the only This species is known mostly from eastern Can- record west of Montana (PAULSON, 1997). In ada and the northeastern United States. In the Canada it had not been confirmed west of Sas- 1920s Edmund Walker of the Royal Ontario katchewan (WESTFALL& MAY, 1996) until it Museum had collected this elusive dragonfly was recognizedin 1998 at a site north of Golden about 3 km from the British Columbia/Alberta (Donald, Bluewater Creek, 5-VIII-1998, LRR boundary in Banff National Park (WALKER [2d, 22], GAA [2d, 22]). Since then it has & CORBET, 1975).