Dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) from Puerto Rico: a checklist with notes on distribution and habitat

PeerJ

article

Alonso Ramírez¹  Norman Maldonado-Benítez²  Ashley Mariani-Ríos²  Javier Figueroa-Santiago³ 

[1] Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University;Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico;Resource Center for Science and Engineering, University of Puerto Rico

关键词: Species inventory;    West Indies;    Insect diversity;    Caribbean;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.9711

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundConservation of tropical freshwater fauna requires a solid understanding of species biodiversity patterns. We provide an up to date annotated list of Odonata of Puerto Rico, which is based on current reports. The list is complemented with notes on the geographic and altitudinal distribution of this order on the island. We also compare current composition relative to early reports conducted when Puerto Rico was mostly an agricultural region.MethodsWe surveyed adult Odonata all over Puerto Rico with the aid of undergraduate students. Students were trained on capturing, preserving, and data basing specimens. All material was centralized, identified by the lead author, and deposited in the Zoology Museum at the University of Puerto Rico (MZUPR), Río Piedras campus. Surveys were complemented with focal collections by the authors and a literature review of published records for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. We requested records from specialists to obtain the most complete list of species for the island.ResultsAn annotated list of Odonata from Puerto Rico is presented, reporting 49 species distributed in two suborders and four families. We provide information on species distribution among municipalities and elevations around Puerto Rico. A historic list of species was developed for the 1930s-1940s, when agriculture covered most of Puerto Rico, based on literature and museum specimens. Both current and historic records are similar and suggest that the Odonata fauna is dominated by generalist species and has changed little since the agricultural period. Our list provides a point of reference to understand biodiversity patterns in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean and for assessing the effects of land use change on aquatic insect diversity.

【 授权许可】

CC BY