Aeshna affinis Vander Linden and Sympetrum depressiusculum (Sélys) foundin Belarus (Anisoptera: Aeshnidae,Libellulidae) P. Buczyński¹ and M. Moroz² 1 DepartmentofZoology, MariaCurie-Sklodowska University, Akademicka 19, PO 20-033 Lublin,Poland 2 Institute ofZoology, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Akademicheskaya 27, 220072 Minsk, Republic ofBelarus Abstract – - The 2 found in 2001 in the spp. were area lies at an altitude of 125-140 m and is cov- ‘Prypyatski’ National Park (southern Belarus). S. ered with old oak forests; it has abundant lakes, depressiusculum is new for the country, A. affinis old river-arms and low peat bogs (VOITOV, time has been recorded for the first since a single 1998). record in 1933. described and the Localities are Two of the dragonflyspecies found in the area distribution ofthe spp. is discussed. are particularly interesting for its zoogeography and the state of knowledge of Belarussian drag- Introduction onflies: Dragonflies of Belarus are poorly known, and • Aeshna affinis and have been few faunistic ecological papers of Khlupinska Buda (52°03’N, 28°10’E), a In the 1990s revival in in sand in forest of published. a research, pool an young pit a (area Area; has led to an increase in the knowledge of the the pit: ca 4.000 m 2). ca 2.500 m depth: 2, and in the number Bottom of and Belarussian dragonfly fauna 1,0-1,7 m. the pool was sandy of known species. The aim of this note is to clayey. Water almost colourless, transparent, strengthen this work. temperature: 25,5°C, pH; 6,13, conductivity: 2 43,6 pS-cm , TDS (total dissolved solids): 2 area and material collected Carex Study 23,8 mgT . Vegetation: with Typha sp., In 2002 research conducted in the was ‘Prypyat- sp., Spirodelapolyrhiza (L.),Potamogeton sp. skt’ National Park which is situated in southern Material: 1 adult <J, relatively young, with in the of The and Belarus, centre Polesye. park pre- transparent undamaged wings. Co-oc- of the - serves part valley of the River Pripyat, the curring species: adults Lestes dryas Kirby, biggest tributary of the River Dnepr. The park L. virens (Charp.), Sympetrum sanguineum 38 Nolul. odonatol., Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 37-44, December 1, 2004 (O.F. Mull.);larvae - Coenagrionhastulatum KEVICH, 1928) the total number should be C. Aeshna 56. In Aeshna and A. (Charp.), puella (L.), cyanea (O.F. recent years crenata Hag. Miill.), Libellula quadrimaculata L„ Sym- subarctica elisabethae Djak. (MAUERSBERG- petrum sanguineum(O.F. Miill,). ER, 2000) and Orthetrum brunneum (Fabr.) • Sympetrum depressiusculum – 13-V-2002, (LEWANDOWSKI & MOROZ, 2001) have also the vicinities of Khlupin (52°04’N, 28°09’E), been found. Our record of Sympetrum depressi- valley of the River Pripyat, an astatic old arm usculum is the first one for Belarus, so the total of the river in an old oak forest (drying out number of dragonfly species is now 60. Aeshna in September). Area: ca 70 m 2, depth: 1,5 affinis has only been recorded once before, from m. Bottom of clay, with oak leaves. Water the Gomel District, where it was one of the rarest dark-tawny, opaque, temperature: 21,1°C, dragonflies(WNUKOWSKY, 1937) (Fig. 1). 410 2 TDS: Both in the Belarussian fauna pFI: 7,49, conductivity: pScm , species are 2 216 mg-1 . Vegetation: Carex sp., Alisma southern ones. Sympetrum depressiusculum L. Ma- Aeshna plantago-aquatica L., Typha latifolia represents a Mongolian element, af- terial: 1 larva. Co-occurring species: Lestes finis, a Holomediterranean (DEVAI, 1976). The dryas Kirby, Sympetrum vulgatum (L.). largest part of the Belarussian area is naturally in ‘southern’ entomofauna, poor thermophilous, Discussion resultings from its severe climate (cf. MARTYN, DIJKSTRA & KOESE (2001) listed 43 dragon- 1987). Nevertheless, analysis of studies from Po- fly species from the ‘Prypyatski’ National Park land and the Ukraine indicate that other ‘south- in 1999. the mentioned in Adding two this pa- ern’ dragonfly species should occur in Belarus. per brings the total to 45 species. PISANENKO In Ukrainian districts which border on Belarus, (1985) compiled the list of 53 dragonfly species Sympecma fusca (Vander L.), Anax parthenope of Belarus. Taking into consideration overlooked (Sel.), Hemianax ephippiger(Burnt.), Orthetrum species, namely: Lestes barbarus (Fabr.) and So- albistylum (Sel.), Sympetrum fonscolombei matochlora arctica (Zett.) (KIPENVARLITS, (Sel.), S. meridionale (Sel.) and S. striolatum 1934) and Lestes viridis (Vander L.) (RAD- (Charp.) (GORB et al„ 2000; SHESHURAK & Aeshna and PADALKO, 1996) occur. affinis Sympetrum depressiusculum were also repeated- ly found. SHESHURAK & PADALKO (1996) noted the presence of Lestes macrostigma (Ever- sm.) and Coenagrionscitulum (Ramb,), although those records are doubtful. In Poland the migra- tions of Crocothemis erythraea (Brulle) and Hemianax reached, in ephippiger recent years, the Be- the areas adjacent to north-western part of larus (BURBACH & WINTERHOLLER, 1997; KALKMAN & DIJKSTRA, 2000),Anax parthe- nope occurs further north (BUCZYNSKI et al., known 2001) and some isolated localities are even from Lithuania (STANIONYTE, 1993a, 1993b). The expansion of Orthetrum albistylum has also been noted, the edge ofits range moving Fig. 1. Localities of the recorded species in Bela- north-west by about 400 km (BUCZYNSKI et rus: (A) new record of Sympetrum depressiuscu- al., 2002). — record of - ‘southern’ have lum; (B) new Aeshna affinis; (C) Many dragonfly species re- historical records of A. extended their towards the north affinis (WNUKOWSKY, cently ranges 1937). Adjacent countries: UKR: the Ukraine; - or have occurred in central Europe more nu- RU: Russia; — LV: Latvia: — LT: Lithuania; — merously and occupied more localities (e.g. PL: Poland. BUCZYNSKI et al., 2001; OTT, 2001). The No. Notul. odonatol, Vol. 6, 4, pp, 37-44, December 1, 2004 39 of repeated occurrence some species very near 2000, Vest. Zool. (Suppl.) 15: 1-154 [Ukr.]; - to the Belarus border and the fact that they have IUCN, 1996, Tanks and thyme. Biodiversity in not been found in Belarus indicates that former yet this Soviet military areas in central Europe. has been country not sufficiently faunistically Envir. Res. Ser. 10: 1-136; - KALKMAN, V. investigated. The recent find of Aeshna subar- & K.-D.B. DIJKSTRA, 2000, Opusc. zool. flu- ctica elisabethae - (MAUERSBERGER, 2000) min. 185: 1-19; KIPENVARLITS, A.F., 1934, also indicates this. This West-Siberian species TrudyAkad. Nauk Belar. SSR 3: 183-194 [Russ.]; associated with - (ST. QUENTIN, I960) high and LEWANDOWSKI, K. & M. MOROZ, 2001, transitional peat bogs should have been found in Raznoobr. ziv. mira Belarusi - izuc. itogi persp. the majorpart of Belarus because of the suitable sochran. 28/30 Nov. 97-98 , Minsk, 2001: [Russ.]; habitats for it. Indeed, the well have - species may MARTYN, D„ 1987, Klimaty kuli ziemskiej, been there for val- - some time but many naturally PWN, Warszawa [Pol.]; MAUERSBERGER, uable habitats were in situated areas utilized by R., 2000, Notul. odonatol. 5(5): 56-57; - MO- the former USSR as artillery ranges. Although ROZ, M„ 2003, Parki nor. Rez. Przyr. 22(1): scientific research was forbidden in those areas, 107-115 [Pol.]; - OTT, J„ 2001, in: G.-R. Wal- the time from at same they were protected de- ter, C.A. Burga & P.J. Edwards, [Eds], finger- In gradation (IUCN, 1996; MOROZ, 2003). con- prints" of climate change: adapted behaviour clusion there is still much to be learnt about the Kluwer & and shifting species ranges. Plenum, Odonata of - Belarus. New York; PISANENKO, A.D., 1985, Vest, helorus. gosud. Univ. Lenina (II) 3; 37-41 We thank - Acknowledgcments – A.W. UG- [Russ.]; RADKEVICH, A.I., 1928, Vitsebsh- LIANETS, the scientific worker at the ‘Prypyat- chyna 2: 85-91 [Bel.]; - SHESHURAK, P.M. & ski’ National Park, for help with the field studies. T.V. P.P. PADALKO, 1996, in'. Borshchevkiy et The research was supported financially by the al., [Eds], Suchasniy stan ta shlyahi virishennya Jozef Mianowski Fund (Poland), ekologichnihproblem Chernigivskoi oblasti, pp. 127-129, Nizhin. Derzh. Pedagog. Inst., Nizhin - References – - BUCZYNSKI, P„ S. CZACHO- [Ukr.]; STANIONYTE, A., 1993a, Lietuvos ROWSKI & L. LECHOWSKI, 2001, Roczn. entomologu Drauglios Metines konferencijos, nauk. Tow. Ochr. 5: 34-41 - pol. Przyr. ,JSalamandra" Medziaga, Vilnius, pp.: [Lith.]; 1993b, - 27-42 [Pol.]; BUCZYNSKI, P„ A. ZAWAL New rare Lithuan. Insect Spec. 1993: 50-60; - & E. FILIPIUK, 2002, Libellula 21(1/2): 15-24; ST. QUENTIN, D., 1960, Zool. Jb. (Syst.) 87 - BURBACH, K. & M. 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