Pictorial Handbook on COMMON DRAGON AND DAMSEL FLIES (ODONATA: INSECTA) of mangroves of Sundarbans, India AMITMITRA Department of Zoology, Royal University ofBhutan, Sherubtse College, Kanglung, Bhutan AND BULGANIN MITRA Zoological Survey of India. M-Block. New Alipore, Kolkata 700 053 Edited by the Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata Zoological Survey of India Kolkata CITATION Mitra, Amit and Bulganin Mitra. 2009. Pictorial Handbook on Dragon and Damsel flies (Odonata : Insecta) of mangroves of Sunderbans, India: 1-56. (Published by the Director, Zool. Surv. India, Kolkata) Published : May, 2009 ISBN 978-=81-8171-220-2 © Govt. of India, 2009 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED • No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. • This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of without the publisher's consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which, it is published. • The correct price of this publication is the price printed on this page. Any revised price indicated by a rubber stamp or by a sticker or by any other means is incorrect and should be unacceptable. PRICE Indian Rs. 350.00 Foreign : $ 25; £ 20 Published at the Publication Division by the Director Zoological Survey of India, 2341 4, Ale Bose Road, 2nd MSO Building, 13th floor, Nizam Palace, Kolkata 700020 and printed at Mis Shiva Offset Press, Dehradun - 248 001 (Uttarakhand). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are grateful to Dr. Ramakrishna, Director, Zoological survey of India for his kind permission for the present project and for providing all possible facilities. Shri Rati Ram Verma, Production and Publication Officer and his staff deserves our sincere thanks for their whole hearted cooperation and technical support in the publication of this handbook. We are indebted to Mr. Keith Wilson of Hong Kong for the photograph of Macrodiplax cora, Mr. Oleg Kosterin for Pseudagrion australasiae, Mr. Michael Wolf, Technical Consultant, Cypher International Ltd, Rm. 2901, Saxon Tower, Hong Kong for lschnura senegalensis, Mr. Phil Benstead Ornithological and Editorial services, The Old Stables, Church Street, Reepham, Norwich NR 10 4JW for Bradinopyga geminata and Mr. Yong San of Singapore for the photograph of Lathrecista a. asiatica. Special thanks are due to the scientists and staff of Odonata section for their untiring support during the study period. Finally we would like to acknowledge the continuous encouragement provided by Prof. Henri Dumont, Ecology lab, University of Ghent, Belgium in bringing out the current handbook. Amit Mitra and Bulganin Mitra CONTENTS Acknolvledgements ................................................................................................................. iii INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1 GENERAL MORPHOLOGY .................................................................................................. 4 HABIT, HABITAT AND BEHAVIOURAL PATTERNS ...................................................... 9 ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE ............................................................................................... 12 SYSTEMATIC LIST ............................................................................................................ 12 FIELD IDENTIFICATION .................................................................................................. 15 CLOSED WING POND DAMSELFLIES ......................................................................... 15 Superfamily COENAGRIONOIDEA ................................................................................ 15 Family COENAGRIONIDAE ............................................................................................ 15 Subfalnily PSEUDAGRIONINAE ..................................................................................... 15 Genus Ceriagriol' ........................................................................................................... 15 1. Ceriagrion cerinorubellum (Brauer, 1865) ...................................................... 16 2. Ceriagrion coromandelianum (Fabricius, 1798) ............................................. 17 Genus Pseudagrion ........................................................................................................ 18 3. Pseudagrion australasiae Selys, 1876 .............................................................. 18 4. Pseudagrion decorum (Rambur, 1842) ............................................................. 19 Subfamily COENAGRIONINAE ....................................................................................... 20 Genus Cercion ................................................................................................................ 20 5. Cercion malayanum (Selys, 1876) .................................................................... 20 Subfamily ISCHNURINAE ................................................................................................ 21 Genus /schllura ............................................................................................................... 21 6. Ischnura senegalensis (Rambur, 1842) .................................................................. 22 7. Ischnura aurora aurora (Brauer, 1865) ................................................................. 23 Subfamily AGRIOCNEMIDINAE ..................................................................................... 24 Genus Agriocllell1is ........................................................................................................ 24 8. Agriocllelnis pyglnaea (Rambur, 1842) .................................................................. 24 VI Subfamily ARGIINAE ........................................................................................................ 25 Genus Onychargia .......................................................................................................... 25 9. Onychargia atrocyana Selys, 1865 ................................................................... 25 ANGLE WING CLUB-TAILS ........................................................................................... 26 Superfamily AESHNOIDEA .............................................................................................. 26 Family GOMPHIDAE ......................................................................................................... 26 Subfamily LINDENIINAE ................................................................................................ 26 Genus Ictinogomphus .................................................................................................... 26 10. /ctinogomphus rapax (Rambur, 1842) ............................................................ 27 DIPPERS AND PERCHERS ............................................................................................. 28 Superfamily LIBELLULOIDEA ........................................................................................ 28 Family LIBELLULIDAE ..................................................................................................... 28 Subfamily BRACHYDIPLACTINAE ................................................................................ 28 Genus Brachydiplax ....................................................................................................... 28 11. Brachydiplax sobrina (Rambur, 1842) ........................................................... 29 Subfamily LIBELLULINAE ............................................................................................... 30 Genus Lathrecista .......................................................................................................... 30 12. Lathrecista asiatica asiatica (Fabricius, 1798) ............................................ 30 Genus Orthetrum ........................................................................................................... 31 13. Orthetrum sabina sabina (Drury, 1770) ........................................................ 32 Subfamily SYMPETRINAE .............................................................................................. 33 Genus Acisoma ............................................................................................................... 33 14. Acisoma panorpoides panorpoides Rambur, 1842 ....................................... 33 Genus Brachythemis ...................................................................................................... 34 15. Brachythemis contaminata (Fabricius, 1793) ............................................... 35 Genus Bradinopyga ........................................................................................................ 36 16. Bradinopyga geminata (Rambur, 1842) ........................................................ 36 Genus Crocothemis ........................................................................................................ 37 17. Crocothemis servilia servilia (Drury, 1770) ................................................. 37 vi i Genus Diplacodes ........................................................................................................... 39 18. Diplacodes trivialis (Rambur, 1842) .............................................................. 39 Genus Neurothenlis