Acta Hydroentomologica Latvica 2 (1992): 22-26A Russian version Complex Biospheral Expedition of Acad.Sci. of the USSR ZAIKA V.V., KOSTERIN O.E. SOME INTERESTING FINDINGS OF DRAGONFLIES (ODONATA) IN SOUTH TUVA [NOTE: dragonflies "combining the characters of Ophiogomphus serpentinus and O. reductus", mentioned in this paper, in fact turned to be a Chinese-Mongolian species Ophiogomphus spinicornis Selys, that is still unpublished] While working in Complex Biospheral Expedition of the USSR Acad. Sci. in the north of Ubsu-Nur Hollow, Tes-Khem district of Tuva ASSR [Убсу-Нурская котловина, Тес-Хемский р-н Тувинской АССР], in July 1990, we have made some findings of dragonflies that are of faunistic interest. Dragonflies were collected in two sites: in a close vicinity of the Tes-Khem river ( km east from its fall into the Lake Ubsu-Nur, that is 35 km west- south-west from settlement Samagaltai [Самагалтай]), where dra- gonfly larvae develop (Fig 1-4), and in the valley of the Shivi- lig-Khem [Шивилиг-Хем] river at the foot of East Tannu-Ola [Восточный Танну-Ола] mountain range (20 km north from the pre- vious site), where the dragonflies, scattering from the Tes- Khem, concentrate (Fig 1-5). (The Tes-Khem valley appeared to be the only place in the examined region suitable for dragonfly larvae development). In the clearings and edges of poplar and larch forest stri- pes alongside the Shivilig-Khem, from washes of its dry delta up to its mountain gorge, numerous (up to 10 individuals per a 50 m transsect) young imagines of Ophyogomphus dragonflies was obser- ved from 1st July. The larvae of these dragonflies were found in abundance in the Tes-Khem in places with slow current, both on sandy and shingle bottom, and as well in various pools situated in the beds of temporary anastomosing branches of the river. Traits of coloration of these dragonflies appeared to cor- respond to that of Ophiogomphus serpentinus Charp. s. str (= O. cecilia cecilia Four.), as they were described by A.Yu.Haritonov and S.N.Borisov (Харитонов, Борисов, 1990): the general tone is greenish yellow, the areas of black and light coloration in the abdomen are approximately equal, yellow lateral stripes of the abdomen are contiguous. (Dorsal yellow spots at 4-6 tergids usu- ally don't reach the hind edges of tergids in males of this spe- cies, however, they almost reach the edges in our specimens.) Black spots at the 10th tergid are large and reach the hind edge of the tergid. All black lines of the thorax are expressed, but they are rather thin; there is a yellow macule on the vertex. Among facial black marking the following elements are expressed: a thin line between frons and clypeus and traces of twin marks at the base of labrum; there was no marks between the upper and the lower parts of clypeus, that could present in O. serpentinus species. However, the shape of the lower anal appendage of our males resembles that of Ophyogomphus reductus Calv.: its upper profile contour has two pronounced concavites (as in O.reductus), and its length is about 4/5 of the length of upper appendages. (this ratio should be 2/3 in O. reductus, in O. ser- pentinus the lower appendage is only slightly shorter than the uppers). Thus, a combination of traits characteristic to O. re- ductus and O. serpentinus was found in our imago specimens. The abdomen armament of larvae appeared to be moderately developed, well corresponding to the description of larva of O. serpenti- nus, but not of reductus. It was thought presumably that the territory of Tuva could be inhabited by tho closely related vicariant species - Ophio- gomphus obscurus Bart. and Ophiogomphus reductus Calv., which were often regarded as subspecies of O. serpentinus (= O. ceci- lia), (Белышев, 1973). The former is confined to the taiga zone and so is distributed in the Saians (Белышев, 1973; Харитонов, Борисов, 1990). The latter was reported from Mongolia by K.J. Valle, but V.N.Krylova (Крылова, 1974) specified that the loca- lity was really the Kemchik [Кемчик] river that situated in West Tuva. Our finding suggests that either Valle's determination was based upon the shape of anal appendages rather than upon the fe- atures of coloration, or this entire report was mistaken, becau- se it seems to be impossible for the southern species to be met in West Tuva while the dragonflies with coloration corresponding to the northern species O. serpentinus occur about 200 km south- east. A label confusion could not be excluded in this case. The areal of O. serpentinus s. str. was known to wedge eastward into the areal of O. obscurus along the chain of Kuz- netsk, Achinsk, Minusinsk, and Krasnoyarsk steppes [Кузнецкая, Ачинская, Минусинская и Красноярская степи] (Белышев, 1973). If our dragonflies were attributed to O. serpentinus s.str, then it should be supposed that this species also penetrate to the east along the second line of the steppes of South Tuva and, probab- ly, North Mongolia. In this case the areals of O.serpentinus and O.obscurus within Altai-Saian mountain system appear to form a complicated pattern of intergradation in accordance with distri- bution of steppe and taiga formations. However, for this subject to become clear the species rank of these taxa should be confir- med. Naturally, it is not excluded that the differences between all the three `species` are really environmental modifications. Any material from the regions of contact of their areals is nee- ded, the evidences of simpatricity are especially desirable. B. F.Belyshev (Белышев, 1973) stated that such regions are inhabi- ted by dragonflies with transitory features, thus reasonably considering these taxa as subspecies. However, he did not adduce the very data. The recent work by A.Yu.Haritonov and S.N.Borisov (Харитонов, Борисов, 1990) retains the species rank of these ta- xa, the problem of areal contacts being neglected. The detailed geographical survey of South Siberian Ophyogomphuses is needed in this respect. Our specimens, exhibiting a combination of fea- tures characteristic to either reductus or serpentinus, seem to evidence for the two taxa to be subspecies. The south boundary of the areal of Coenagrion lanceolatum Selys. was earlier drawn through the sources of the Yenisei ri- ver (Белышев, 1973), that is about 100 km north from the site we examined, where C. lanceolatum was found in a pool situated in the bed of temporary branch of the Tes-Khem. The pool, surroun- ded with willow shrubs, was about 10 m in diameter and has sub- merged thickets of Potamogeton perfoliatus L. and some Charophy- ta, and a plot of reed. There was found both larvae and imagines. Lastly, there were imagines of Aeschna affinis Lind abun- dant in the valley of the Shivilig-Khem. This species is known from lake Ureg-Nur [Урэг-Нур], situated in Mongolian Altai, 250 km west from our site (Белышев, Дошидоржи, 1958; Крылова, 1974), but in Siberia it has not yet been reported east from North Al- tai. Besides, the following dragonflies species was met in the site examined: Sympecma paedisca braueri Bianchi, Lestes sponsa Hans., Enallagma cyathigerum Charp., Sympetrum pedemontanum All., Sympetrum flaveolum L., Sympetrum vulgatum L., Sympetrum scoticum Don., Somatochlora graeseri Selys. (this species was identified - according to Belyshev (1959) - by larvae, found in the pool described above), Aeschna crenata Hag., Aeschna serrata Hag., Aeschna coluberculus Latr. Note, that S.graeseri and Ae. coluberculus are not yet known from Mongolia (Крылова, 1974), which boundary lies in 10 km from examined point at the Tes-Khem. REFERENCES Belyshev B. F. Die Larve von Somatochlora graeseri Selys (Odona- ta, Corduliidae). Entomol. Zeitschr. 1959 - Nr.18: 200-202. Белышев Б.Ф. Стрекозы Сибири (Odonata). Т.1. - Новосибирск: Нау ка, Сибирское отделение - 1973 г. - 620 с. [Belyshev B. F. Dragonflies (Odonata) of Siberia, Vol. 1. - 1973 - Novosi- birsk: Nauka, Siberian Dvision - 620 p. ] Белышев Б.Ф., Дошидоржи А. К фауне стрекоз Монголии // Зоол. Журн. - 1958 г. -т. 31 - N 8 - с. 34-39. [Belyshev B. F., Do- shidorzhi A. To the dragonfly fauna of Mongolia. Zool. Zhurn. - 1958 - Vol.31 - No 8 - p. 34-39] Крылова В.Н. Стрекозы Монгольской народной республики. // Насе- комые Монголии. Вып. 2. - Ленинград: Наука - 1974 г. - с. 14- 22. [Krylova V. N. Dragonflies of Mongolian People's Repub- lic. In: Insects of Mongolia, 2nd issue - 1974 - Leningrad: Nauka, - p. 14-22.] Харитонов А.Ю., Борисов С.Н. Евразиатские виды стрекоз рода Ophiogomphus (Odonata, Gomphidae).// Зедкие гельминты, клещи и насекомые. (Новые и малоизвестные виды фауны Сибири. Вып.21 - Новосибирск: Наука, Сибирское отделение - 1990 г. - с. 43-51& [Haritonov A. Yu., Borisov S. N. Euroasian species of genus Ophiogomphus (Odonata, Gomphidae).// Rare helmintes, mites and insects. (New and little-known species of Siberian fauna, 21nd issue. - 1990 - Novosibirsk: Nauka, Siberian Division - p. 43-51.]Send me a message Back to the front page Back to the publication list Back to the dragonfly page