Between 6 and 19 july 2001, I was for the second time in this former Sovjet state on a mainly touristic trip. Nevertheless I had the opportunity to watch birds and to search for some dragonflies also.

There are very few data about dragonflies here, except an important article by Akramovski from 1948. So anything might be of interest. Besides I had exchanged mail with Vasil Ananian, an expert ornithologist from Yerevan, where he had expressed his will to learn to know Odonata as well. Therefore I had brought him some literature and a butterfly net. We made two trips together where we searched for odonata and I gave him some kind of field introduction to this insect order (picture with from right to left: Vasil, his friend Marmikon and Marc).

We can only hope that the Armenians themselves now start studying their tsjapour - the Armenian word for dragonfly - and I suppose the present trip will prove to have been a start for Vasil.

With the exception of Platycnemis dealbata in general, Calopteryx splendens near Ani, Sympetrum fonscolombii at Armash, Orthetrum albistylum also at Armash, and Orthetrum brunneum, all taxa were only found in very low numbers.

If we look at the dates in Akramovski we see a preponderance of earlier dates. Very high temperatures (35 °C) may explain absence in Yerevan, but for instance at Martumi (Sevan Lake) at a height of 1900 m above sealevel on a river stretch with lots of Ranunculus aquaticus not one Calopteryx was seen ! It puzzles me.

Epallage fatime (picture)

Yerevan - Hrazdan river Gorge, 07 july 2001: 4 males

 

Calopteryx splendens erevanense (2 pictures from Yerevan)

Yerevan - Hrazdan river Gorge: 07 july 2001: 5 males, 2 females (low numbers, on a river strecth of several 100 m, we only observe maybe 5 males and 2 females)

Mkhcian - 15 july 2001: 1 male

Yerevan - Hrazdan river Gorge - 16 july 2001: 3 males, 2 females

Vayk (river) - 17 july 2001: 1 m (but bad weather on that day)

 

Calopteryx splendens intermedia
The bleu on the wing starts proximal of the nodus and goes to the apex of the wing, not unlike C. xanthostoma in S-W-Europe.

Yerevan - Hrazdan river Gorge: 07 july 2001: 1 male

 

Calopteryx splendens cartvelica ??

Karkhov near Ani - Ajurian river - Turkish border - 11 july 2001: Calopteryx splendens (at first and short sight not unlike erevanense): lots of animals - very wild water. Being a military sensitive zone and this spot being precisely on the border river itself I didn't have time to check carefully and - a pity - I hadn't yet read the Russian text by Akramovski who places here cartvelica and gives a description of the subspecies.

 

Platycnemis dealbata (Selys, 1863) (pictures from Yerevan)

Yerevan - Hrazdan river Gorge: 07 july 2001; very numerous, lots of copulations and egg-laying, mixing on egg-laying spots with the next species.

Nor Ughi (near Vedi) - irrigarion canal (quite dirty water) - 15 july 2001: 1 m, 1 f, copulation

Dimitrov - rivulet - 15 july 2001: 100 ex, cop

Mkhcian - 15 july 2001: numerous

Yerevan - Hrazdan river Gorge , 16 july 2001 : 50 ex, cop

Arpi - river Arpa: 17 july 2001 : 1 m, 1 f (bad weather)

 

Platycnemis pennipes (pictures from Yerevan)

Yerevan - Hrazdan river Gorge: 07 july 2001 : in much smaller numbers than P. dealbata

Yerevan - Hrazdan river Gorge: 16 july 2001: 5 m

Ischnura elegans

Yerevan - Hrazdan river Gorge, 07 july 2001 :

Armash FP 15 july 2001: 100-s, copulation

Mkhcian, 15 july 2001: 3 ex.

Yerevan - Hrazdan river Gorge - 16 july 2001: 1 ex

 

Erythromma viridulum

Armash FP, 15 july 2001: 3 m, 1 f (in a ditch, canal). The female has worn wings

 

Libellula depressa

Nerin Getashen (near Martuni) - river, 18 july 2001: 2 m

The river is quite fast flowing and has lots of Ranunculus growing in it; nevertheless no other species werd observed, although one would expect f.e. Calopteryx here.

 

Orthetrum albistylum (picture)

Armash FP, 15 july 2001: 15 m, 2 f, 2 copulation (some with very worn wings)

 

Orthetrum brunneum (picture)

Yerevan - Hrazdan river Gorge, 07 july 2001: 3 males

Armash FP, 15 july 2001: 2 m at a artificial well

Nor Ughi (near Vedi) - irrigarion canal (quite dirty water), 15 july 2001: 2 m

Dimitrov - rivulet, 15 july 2001: 20 m, 2 f

Mkhcian - 15 july 2001: 2 m

 

Orthetrum coerulescens anceps

Mkhcian - 15 july 2001: 3 f (no males observed at the spot)

 

Aeshna mixta (picture of female and habitat(?))

Geghard monastery, 16 july 2001: 1 f captured, several animals patrolling high over the mountain brook nearby the monastery, which seems to be a strange habitat for this species.

 

Crocothemis erythraea

Armash FP - 15 july 2001: 3 m, 1 f, 1 copulation

 

Sympetrum fonscolombi

Armash FP, 15 july 2001: very numerous but mostly females (? - lots of them checked in the hand)

Habitats visited (altitude above sealevel)

Yerevan - Hrazdan River Gorge, 900 m. Fast flowing river, stones, grass and other vegetation. There seems to be some pollution by waste water but it's not really visible. Recreation pressure on the site is though heavy, people swimming, fishing, barbecueing and removing lots of stones and vegetation.r

Armash Fish Ponds, 550 m. A real birdwatchers' paradise, this area (at least 700ha) consists of a series of mostly large artificial fish ponds, surrounded by important reed beds.

Kharkov (near Ani) - Ajurian river, border with Turkey, 1300 m. Very wild river (Turkish name: Arpa cay)

Ararat valley: sites: Nor Ughi, Dimitrov, Mkhcian (about 800 m). This big valley at the food of Ararat mountain is intensive irrigated agricultural land. Water comes from mountain reservoirs and gives sometimes fast flowing canals.

Geghard monastery, 2000 m. Mountainous valley with small river.

PS. We are working on a checklist and preliminary atlas of the country, so any data will be welcome.

Literature

Akramovski, N.N., 1948. The dragonfly fauna from Soviet Armenia. Aool. Zb. Akad. NAUK. Armenia SSR. Erevan. 5: 117-188. (in Russian)

Marc Tailly (marc.tailly@pandora.be) & Vasil Ananian (vananian72@yahoo.com)