THE DRAGONFLIES and DAMSELFLIES (ODONATA) of HALTON REGION, ONTARIO an Annotated Checklist 2017
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THE DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES (ODONATA) OF HALTON REGION, ONTARIO An annotated checklist 2017 First prepared by Carl J. Rothfels for the Halton Natural Areas Inventory 2006 Updated by Brenda Van Ryswyk 2017 INTRODUCTION Jones & Holder 2000); A Preliminary Annotated List of the Odonata of Northern Bruce County The Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) of including Bruce Peninsula National Park (Catling Halton Region have been historically under- et al. 2000b); the surveys of Sandbanks Provincial surveyed, especially when compared with both Park (Catling et al. 2000a; Bree 2001); the surveys odonate work in nearby areas (in 2000 Peel Region of Bon Echo Provincial Park (Bree 2000); and the had 71 documented species, Metropolitan Toronto surveys of Petroglyphs Provincial Park (Bree 2002; had 81, while Halton had only 49 [Catling & Bree 2004b). Brownell 2000]), and with work within Halton on other groups (e.g. birds). Fortunately, Halton was None of these regional and sub-regional works is well positioned to take advantage of the recent within or adjacent to Halton Region, concentrating renaissance in Ontario odonate study, particularly instead on the southern Carolinian Zone and the since 2000. This surge in interest culminated in the southern edge of the Canadian Shield. Since the inclusion of Odonata as one of the fauna groups distribution of odonates can vary significantly surveyed for during the Halton Natural Areas between regions, it is particularly important to fill Inventory (HNAI) in 2003 and 2004. this hole in our current understanding of Ontario odonate distributions. The first version of this checklist was the result of the HNAI field surveys and has since been updated It is hoped that this document will aid in the and expanded. The original checklist was the first understanding of an important component of our annotated work for an Ontario municipality to local biodiversity, promote further study and provide status and occurrence lists for its complete interest in these organisms, and provide a known odonate fauna, with a goal of informing foundation for conservation and planning planning and conservation decisions. As such it decisions. As such, it is strongly modelled upon builds on the tradition of the Dragonflies and The Butterflies of Hamilton, Ontario , by damselflies (Odonata) of Peterborough County Wormington and Lamond (2003). (Jones 1999; Jones et al. 2001), the Odonata of Essex County, Ontario (Pratt 2002a), An Annotated Local knowledge of Odonata is particularly Checklist of the Odonata of Renfrew County, important since this is a relatively unknown group Ontario (Jones et al. 2000) and A Preliminary of organisms with a high proportion of provincially Annotated List of the Odonata of Lanark County, rare species (Oldham et al. 2000). Odonates, being Ontario (Catling et al. 2001). The Essex checklist confined to aquatic habitats for their larval life assigns odonate species a county status of stages, can be particularly sensitive to water common, uncommon, or rare, but is not annotated quality, and thus can be used as indicators of and does not supply occurrence data. The Renfrew aquatic ecosystem health (e.g. Catling 2003). Some and Lanark checklists are well annotated, but do groups in particular require specific conditions, and not present a systematic treatment of regional are very sensitive to habitat alteration (Catling abundance data for non-odonatists. 2000; 2001). It is important to consider these sensitivities in conservation and planning Other important inventories include Pratt’s decisions. Regional Lists of Ontario Odonata (2002b), which contains present/absence lists for the southern Included in this document are the regional, Ontario counties of Essex, Kent, Lambton, Elgin, provincial, and global status for each species, a list Middlesex, Huron, Grey, and Bruce; the of occurrences for locally rare and uncommon Dragonflies and Damselflies of Algonquin Park species, information on flight times, and additional and its subsequent amendments (Holder 1996; annotations. Despite the extensive recent surveys, our knowledge of the dragonflies and damselflies The summer of 2002 marks the beginning of Royal of Halton is may still be incomplete. Additional Botanical Gardens’ (RBG) odonate program. Carl records are always appreciated, and can be sent for Rothfels concentrated on documenting the odonate inclusion in the Ontario Odonata Database via the fauna of RBG properties, with occasionally forays Natural Heritage Information Centre elsewhere in Halton, joined by G. Barrett, K. (http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/nhic/nhic.cfm ): Barrett, A. Kloc, G. Lewer, P.G. O’Hara, S.R. 300 Water Street, 2nd Floor, North Tower Spisani, J.L. Sylvester, I. Vaithilingam, B. Van P.O. Box 7000, Peterborough, ON, K9J 8M5 Ryswyk, and K. VanWyck. The RBG odonate Tel.: (705) 755-2159 Fax: (705) 755-2168 surveys became more systematic with the development of the first Odonate Count for the Significant provincial records and new regional region (Rothfels 2003). records should be documented with a specimen or photograph. For information on the ethical and Additional sources of data utilized in the 2017 effective collection of odonates, see Paulson update include the Ontario Odonata email list, the (2002). Hamilton Odo and leps email list as well as other websites like BugGuide and iNaturalist. Interesting or noteworthy records were gleaned from these INFORMATION SOURCES sources and added to the checklist. There may be, and likely is, additional data that the author is The data used in this checklist come from the unaware of and has not incorporated here. Those Ontario Odonate Database (OOD, 2005) stored at with additional data are encouraged to send records the Natural Heritage Information Centre, from (both noteworthy and common species) to the records generated during the HNAI, and from field Ontario Odonata Database (maintained by Colin surveys since the NAI. The OOD contains most of Jones at the NHIC) to help further our knowledge the HNAI data, except those from the 2004 field of the odonata in both our region and in Ontario. season. The vast majority of the records contained in the NOMENCLATURE HNAI database are the result of the field surveys in 2003 and 2004, conducted by Robert Curry and Nomenclature follows Paulson (2017). The Alan Wormington. These records are common names derive from a standardized list for complimented with select observations from the North American species formulated by the HNAI Ecological Land Classification crew: Dragonfly Society of the Americas (DSA) and K.Cain, L.Dick, A.Garofalo, B.Jamison, and B. published by Paulson (2017). This list is Van Ryswyk. Brenda Van Ryswyk, in particular, occasionally updated through additions to the fauna spent considerable energy photo-documenting of North America, or through decisions of the significant odonate records during the course of the DSA’s Common Names Committee (for example, HNAI. the decision to change Sympetrum vicinum from Yellow-legged Meadowhawk to Autumn The Ontario Odonata Database is more diverse; it Meadowhawk). is the result of an ambitious effort to consolidate all provincial odonate records in a single location. Its Most odonate field workers are comfortable with first Halton records are from specimens collected both the common and scientific names. While by the legendary E.M. Walker (first in 1935), and knowledge of the common names is sufficient for by the likes of P.G. Mason and R.W. Cameron, and communication of records (and odonate common stored in the insect collections of the Royal Ontario names are often very evocative), learning the Museum and the University of Guelph. Bill and scientific names is a worthwhile exercise, for their Irene McIlveen, two of our most significant beauty, clarity, and because they contain contemporary local enthusiasts, start contributing information about species’ relationships often lost records in the early 1990s; their records are soon in the common names. For those reasons, both joined by those of visiting odonatists, including common and scientific names are included in this D.A. Sutherland, N.W. Godfrey, A. Godfrey, M. checklist. King, D.D. Beadle, J.B. Falls, C.D. Jones, M. Oldham, R. Oldham, K. Brodribb and J. Nancekivell. SPECIES ACCOUNTS FORMAT Species are included under the main species accounts if they have been documented in the Each species listed is placed in one or more of the region either with a specimen or a photograph. following residency classes: Species that are reported with only sight records are listed after the main accounts in the “Excluded Permanent Resident Species” section. These species may well occur in These are species with long-term populations in the region, and a special effort should be made to Halton, and which over-winter, locally, as document them. Exceptions to this criterion are larvae. They are thus dependent, year-round, on noted under specific species. local aquatic habitats, although the adults may disperse widely. Additional unreported species, which may occur in the region (due to their documented presence in Breeding Immigrants adjacent municipalities), are listed in the “Potential Species” section. Nonetheless fieldworkers should These are the “lay-and-fly” species – those that always be prepared for surprises! Species not listed breed in Halton, but complete their larval on the Potential Species list may well occur. lifestage in a single summer and do not overwinter as larvae. The adults do not Limiting the main species accounts to well- overwinter