The Dragonflies of the Eastern Mediterranean

This site had been created in order to stimulate work on the dragonfly fauna of the Eastern Mediterranean: the Near-East, Northeastern-Africa and Southeastern Europe. Turkey was the main aim. 
This site contains checklists, articles, discussions, announcements, a glossary of persons and a large amount of pictures. We hope that many people will contribute to this site.

At the moment in the on line publication area the whole area is treated, both with text publications and discussions. The checklist and photos pages are mainly devoted to dragonflies occurring in Turkey. On the who page the dragonfly enthusiasts interested in this region are presented.

 Mainly old news  
Dragonfly Book. The book "The dragonflies of eastern Mugla province Southwestern Turkey" is published in 2007, has been written by Paul Hope paulhope99{at}googlemail.com (replace {at} bij @), has 252 pages with distribution maps, pictures and texts on the species. Also he has done an update for the book and he will send it to anyone who wishes to receive it by e-mail attachment. Last year he discovered new sites for Ceriagrion georgifreyi and at one a new female form was found. It was f. melanogastrum. Another discovery was of Leucorrhinia pectoralis which was found near Fethiye some 250Km south of its most southerly record in the Turkish Lake District.
Coenagrion armatum new for Armenia. Mid July 2006, Coenagrion armatum was discovered (one male, see specimen, captured by Anny Anselin) as a new species to the armenian fauna at lake Arpi in the exterme northeast of the country. In the Caucasus this species was first found in 1907 by Bartenef on 3 lakes in adjacent Georgia with a lot of vegetation of e.g. sedges, quite like on our new site of discovery. Arpilich is situated at less than 10 km from the Turkish border at roughly 2000 m asl. This makes it not unlikely that the species may be discovered also in Turkey, if similar suitable habitat can be found there (Lake Childir is, according to the words of Bartenef, totally different in character than the sites in Georgia where he found armatum). Photographs
(Mail Marc Tailly, 4th  October 2006) 
Records of Pantala flavescens in SW-Morocco summer 2006
On 30 May 2006 one male of Pantala flavescens was flying around at Kasbah Yasmina (N31º12.807, W03º59.300),  on the westside of Erg Chebbi, near Merzouga. On the same date , one male has been seen hanging at the north shore  of Lac Merzouga, Merzouga. It had been a rather wet season. Map  
(Mail Paul Schrijvershof, 11th  November 2006) 
Recent records of Red-veined Dropwing Trithemis arteriosa in eastern Cyprus. The presence of Trithemis arteriosa in Cyprus has been overlooked in recent publications e.g. Die Libellenfauna von Cypern (Lopau & Adena, 2002) and Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe (Dijkstra et al., 2006). This note records the occurrence of this species at five sites in the east of the island during September and October 2006.
 (Mail: Nigel Cottle, 20 October 2006)  

 

Pantala  flavescens still on the wing on 22 November 2006 in Cairo. I did see two Pantala flavescens on 22nd november in Mohandeseen, a district in Cairo. They seemed very interested in the roof of a silver car. 
On 22 October the species was too photographed just outside Cairo, a place surrounded by fields, frequently irrigated. The summer has seen many Odonata hawking over the fields, but I couldn't say for sure if the globe skimmer was amongst them at this time. But is was there certainly in August. 
(mail Ben Evenden 28 November & 24 October 2006)
New European fieldguide includes West-Turkish and Northern Africa species. It appeared in the summer of 2006 and has close to 1000 illustrations, both photographs and pencil drawings. Many species in the guide have never been treated in this way neither in any accessible book. New is e.g. the decision to raise Gomphus flavipes lineatus to the level of a new species: Gomphus ubadschii Schmidt, 1953. The name Gomphus lineatus was originally used for Paragomphus lineatus and had to be replaced.  Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe by Klaas-Douwe B Dijkstra, Richard Lewington, 2006. British Wildlife Publishing.

Brachythemis leucosticta new to Cyprus. On 11th August 2006 I found two females and a male Brachythemis leucosticta at Akhna Dam, Cyprus (35.02.59N, 033.47.55E. 34 metres ASL) This constitutes the first record for the island.

(mail: Nigel Cottle, 28th August 2006, photo: Christodoulos Makris)

Mass migration of Aeshna mixta and Sympetrum meridionale in S-Ukraine. Together with Elena Dyatlova Vincent Kalkman visited the Donau delta in the southern Ukraine on 19-20 August 2006. Both Aeshna mixta and Sympetrum meridionale were migrating in extremely high numbers .

(mail Vincent Kalkman 25th August 2006)

Sympecma paedisca and more Selysiothemis nigra from Armenia. On 1 and 31 August 2006 Vasil Ananian discovered more localities for these rare species.

(mail Vasil Ananian, 4th August 2006)

Selysiothemis nigra new for Armenia. On 7 june 2006 Vasil Ananian discovered this species near Jrarat.

(mail Marc Tailly, 7th June 2006)

Pantala flavescens photographed in NE Greece


Pantala flavescens
new to the mainland of Greece.
On 2 Aug 2005 Pantala flavescens was photographed on the Evros Delta - Almyres Section (Western), east of  Alexandropolis in north-eastern Greece. It was seen  several times during the day holding territory over a dirt road next to a 2m wide drainage ditch. The only individual seen has not be seen as it landed so the photo was taken of it in flight. The species was known from Turkish Thracia (map) and Rhodos, not from the mainland of Greece. 
(mail Jeff Blincow, 2th December 2005; no link)).

Crocothemis servilia
Crocothemis servilia new to the Armenian Fauna. Today I got the confirmation from the discoverer Alessandro Tabarroni that after careful study of the genitalia the specimen indeed belongs to Crocothemis servilia. This adds a new dragonfly species the Armenian list and it is even a new one for the whole of Transcaucasia.   
(mail Marc Tailly, 28th May 2005; no link)
Calopteryx splendens waterstoni male


Proposed distribution of Calopteryx species and C. splendens subspecies in the Near East map mainly based on discussions with Henri Dumont and Marc Tailly. 
(Marcel Wasscher, 14th Januari 2005)

 


Habitats of  Turkish dragonflies Photographs of dragonfly locations with lists of names of species observed.
(Vincent Kalkman 27th December 2004) 


Somotochlora borisi new for Turkey: the oldest record of the species turned out to be from a Turkish locality, with photos of female, copula and males. 
(mail Jean-Pierre Boudot, 14th November 2004) 


Maps with all Turkish records untill august 2004 All dots as far as included in the database kept on Naturalis. Example left: situation for Coenagrion ponticum in Turkey.
(Vincent Kalkman, 14 November 2004; see checklist of Turkey for maps) 

 


Libellula special on the dragonfly fauna of Turkey came of the press in Germany. First copies available at the GdO meeting at Oldenburg, Northern Germany. More about it, including  index and how to order
(20 March 2004)