98 Notul. Vol. 4, No, 6, odonatoi, pp. 93-108, December 1, 1995 Dragonflies recorded from The Gambia ¹ R.M. Gambles [deceased], N.W. Moore M. Hämäläinen² and E.D .V. Prendergast³ 1 The Farm House, 117 Boxworth End, Swavesey, Cambridge CB4 5RA, United Kingdom 2 Department ofApplied Zoology, P.O. Box 27, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland 3 Manor House, Bagber, Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 2EY, United Kingdom Abstract – - 64 recorded from The Gambia in all of the spp. ably by systematic collecting parts end 1989 and their known distri- and all times of it stands up to are listed, country at year; but, as bution shown. at present, it should put our knowledge of the Gambian Odonata at least on a par with that of Introduction most other West African Territories. The Gambia is a narrow strip ofterritory bounded on all sides, except for its Atlantic coastline,by Collecting Visits and Senegal, consists of little more than the river, NWM spent two months, from mid-July to mid- which somewhat pursues a meandering course September 1948, in The Gambia collecting it from east to west; and the land oneither side of mainly around Kuntaur, some 200 km up-river, 20 the to an average distance of km near mouth, but also around Banjul and Basse Santa Su. In narrowing to 10 km up-river. The groundis, for September 1958, RMG was able to land from the he for the most part, flat, and there are hardly any tribu- mail boat on which was travelling, about to It taries the river. is tidal for much ofits length, an hour’s collecting in the neighbourhood of and brackish asfar as Kuntaur. The lower reaches Banjul. In October-November 1980, he spent with with are fringed mangrove swamp numer- three weeks on a collecting holiday in The Gam- ous brackish creeks. Within The Gambia,the river bia. He was based mainly at Fajara about 16 km has no rapids or waterfalls. Thus suitable habi- west ofBanjul, but he also made athree day trip for of in the ofterrain worked tats many widespread groups dragonflies up-country collecting sort and NWM. RMG are absent, no species of Chlorocyphidae, by was later sent, for identification, Calopterygidae or Zygonyx have been found. the specimens collected by two short expeditions Over the ricefields, adjoining the river, on the in 1977 by the University of Lund, Sweden. He other of the confirmed hand, many marsh-loving species are noted that they largely his own obser- abundant. Whereas in the 1940s, there were still vations, but provided some new data on distribu- considerable areas ofriverine forest, particularly tion. MH based in Bakau collected at various sites up-river, today there is little left. within the Lower Sector during two weeks in and December EDVP Compared with those of southern, eastern 1980, and was leader of the parts of Central Africa, the dragonflies of West British Dragonfly Society party which visited the Africa have received little attention. from 26 10 October 1989. Tropical very country Septemberto However, reports on collections made and lists This party was based on the coast just south of of species areto be found in the literature of most Fajara, but spent two nights at Tendaba, about West The A African Territories, except for Gambia. 100 km up-river. few records come from other in Though the male holotype of Phyllogomphus sources, includingD.A. Davidson who visited aethiops , (now in the Natural History Museum, 1974 and specimens sent to EDVP by his con- London) came from the River Gambia (SELYS, tacts in The Gambia in 1988/89. 1854; FRASER, 1957), the country appears to have been otherwise almost completely neglected Results until 1948. References have been found to only As a preliminary to mapping the distribution of four other species. Accordingly, as the present au- the various species of Odonata throughout the thors have visited the country briefly at different country, the map has been divided into 10 km times its it desirable with those of UTM Grid to study dragonflies, seems squares, conforming listof the there to publish a species found so far. Zone 28, and numbered arbitrarily from 1 to 162, Doubtless this list could be expanded consider- as onFigure 1. This figure also shows an unoffi- Notul. odonatol., Vol. No. 6, December 1995 4, pp. 93-108, 1, 99 Fig. 1. The Gambia. Arbitrarily numbered 10 km squares plotted against U.T.M. Zone 28 grid. dal division of the country, from west to east, trai: 9; - Upper: 126 into three sectors, each about 110 km in length, PROTONEURIDAE - but different of Elattoneura Kimmins: Central: - containing quantities squares nigra 33; the western Lower Sector,from the Atlantic coast Upper: 126 42 PLATYCNEMIDIDAE up to the eastings, justupstream from Tendaba (70 squares); the Central Sector, from here past Mesocnemis dupuyi Legrand: Central: 33; - Kuntaur to the 52 eastings (49 squares); and the Upper: 126 eastern Upper Sector, from just west of George- - Platycnemis congolensis Martin: Lower: 73 town, past Basse Santa Su to the frontier (43 - P. sikassoensis (Martin): Lower: 73; - Central: squares). 14; - Upper: 126 COENAGRIONIDAE recorded the end of - Fraser: Lower: 142 Species up to 1989,by sec- Aciagrion attenuatum 73, - exilis Central: tors, were: Agriocnemis Sel.: 14, 33;-Up- LESTIDAE 126 per: - Lestes ochraceus Sel.: Lower: 39, 73 - A. maclachlani Sel.: Lower: 73;-Central: 14 - L. pallidus Ramb.: Lower: 39,133,161;- Cen- - A. victoria Fraser: Lower: 73; - Upper: 126 Fig. 2. The Gambia. National boundaries, course of river, principal towns (B=Bunjal, - BS=Basse - - Santa Su, - F= Fajara, - G=Georgetown, K=Kuntaur, T=Tendaba), and division into sectors; with number of ofOdonata recorded in each 10 km together species square. 100 Notul. Vol. No. odonalol., 4, 6, pp. 93-108, December 1, 1995 - - A. zerafica Le Roi: Lower: 73,150; Central: 141, 142, 149, 151, 153, 154; - Central: 4, 9, 14, 58; - Upper: 60 14, 55, 86;-Upper: 60, 126 - Ceriagrion glabrum (Burm.): Lower: 42, 72, - Hemistigma albipuncta (Ramb.): Lower: 39, 73,76, 82, 102, 106,131, 134, 141,150, 151, 42, 72, 73, 76, 82, 106, 131, 132, 141, 151, 154; - Central: 86 154; - Central: 4, 9, 14, 33, 58, 86; - Upper: C. moorei Longfield: Lower: 73, 132; - Cen- 60 tral: 4, 9, 14, 33; - Upper: 60, 61 - Olpogastra lugubris Karsch: Central; 11, 14 - - Enallagma vansomereni Pinhey: Lower: 72 Orthetrum africanum (Sel.): Lower: 72; - Cen- Ischnura senegalensis (Ramb.): Lower: 39,72, tral; 14 73, 102, 131, 142,161; - Central: 14, 55, 86; - O. angustiventre (Ramb.): Lower: 41, 72, 73, - Upper: 60 103, 161;-Central: 11, 14, 33 - Pseudagrion angelicum Fraser: Lower: 73 - O. brachiale (P. de Beauv.): Lower: 42,72,73, P. hamoni Fraser: Central: 14; - Upper: 60 131, 134, 141, 142, 154, 157; - Central: 14. nubicum - - P. Sel.: Central: 14, 33, 58; - Upper: 33, 86; Upper: 126 60, 126 - O. chrysostigma (Burnt.): Lower: 75, 76, 104 - P. sjoestedti nigeriense Gambles: Central: 14; - O. icteromelan Ris; Lower: 72, 73, 131, 132; - Upper: 60, 126 - Central: 4, 9, 14, 33, 55; - Upper: 60, 126 - P. sudanicum Le Roi: Upper: 126 - O. kalai Longfield:Lower: 72,73, 131, 133; - GOMPH1DAE Upper: 60 - Central: 13 - O. monardi Schmidt: Lower: 134, Gomphidia sp,: 72,73, 133, - Cen- - Central: - 126 Neurogomphus sp. (?featheri Pinhey): 154; 58, 86; Upper: 60, tral: 13, 33; - Upper: 60 - O. trinacria (Sel.): Lower: 72, 73, 131, 157;- - Phyllogomphus aethiops Sel.: coastal region Central: 14 (exact locality unrecorded). - Oxythemis phoenicoscelis Ris: Upper: 126 AESHN1DAE - Palpopleuradeceptor (Calv.): Lower; 42, 72, - - Anax tristis Hagen: Lower: 73; - Central: 14; 73, 75, 131, 133, 134, 141, 154, 157, 161; - Upper: 92 Central: 14, 58, 85; - Upper: 60, 126 - Heliaeschna lanceolata Le Roi: Lower: 73; - - P. lucia (Dru.); Lower; 72, 73, 131, 132, 151, Central: 14 153; - Central: 14, 58; - Upper: 60 - Hemianax ephippiger (Burnt.): Lower; 102, - P. portia (Dm.): Lower: 42,72,73,76,82,102, 131, 151;-Central: 14, 55 104,131,132,134,141,151,153,154,157;- CORDULIIDAE Central: 14, 58; - Upper: 60. 126 - Macromia bifasciata (Martin): Central: 11, 14 - Pantala flavescens (Fabr.): Lower: 41, 42, 72, LIBELLULIDAE 73, 75, 76, 82, 102, 106, 131, 133, 134, 142, 86 - Aethriamanta rezia Kirby: Central: 14, 33 151;-Central: 14, 58, 85, - Lower: - Acisoma panorpoides inflatum Sel.: Lower: Parazyxommaflavicans (Martin): 73; 42,72, 73. 76, 131, 132, 150, 151, 153, 154;- -Central: 14 Central: 4, 9, 14, 55, 58; - Upper: 60 - Philonomon luminans (Karsch): Lower: 75, 14 - A. trifidumKirby: Lower: 73, 102 131, 134;-Central: - Brachythemis lacustris (Kirby): Central: 14 - Rhyothemis notata (Fabr.): Lower: 73; - Cen- - B. leucosticia (Burnt.): Lower: 41, 72, 154; - tral; 14 Central: 11, 14, 33, 55, 58, 86; - Upper: 60 - R. semihyalina (Desj.): Lower: 102, 131; - - Chalcostephia flavifrons Kirby: Lower: 72,73, Central; 14 14 102, 131, 151;-Central: 14;-Upper: 126 - Sympetrum navasi Lacroix: Central: Lower: - Lower: 131 - Crocothemis erythraea (Brull6): 39,41, Tetrathemis bifida Fraser; 42,71,72,73,75,76,82,102,104, 131, 132, - Tholymis tillarga (Fabr.): Lower: 72, 73, 82, 134,149, 151,153,154,157;-Central:9,14, 132, 151;-Central: 14;-Upper: 126 55, 58, 86;-Upper: 60,61, 126 - Tramea basilaris (P. de Beauv.): Lower: 42, - - Diplacodes lefebvrei (Ramb.): Lower: 39, 41, 73, 82, 102, 131, 134; - Central: 14, 86; 42, 72, 73, 76, 82, 102, 103, 131, 132, 134, Upper: 126 Notul. odonatol., Vol. 4, No. 6, pp. 93-108, December 1, 1995 101 - Trithemis annulata (P. de Beauv.): Lower: 39, tor than downstream. However, eventhese tenta- 72, 73, 82; - Central: 9, 14, 33. 55; - Upper: tive conclusions should be regarded with caution, 60 since further of surveys new locations, and at - T.