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Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2015; 3(4): 467-472 E-ISSN: 2320-7078 P-ISSN: 2349-6800 JEZS 2015; 3(4): 467-472 © 2015 JEZS Received: 19-06-2015 Accepted: 21-07-2015 Dayakrishna Insect Biodiversity Laboratory, Department of Zoology, D.S.B. Campus, Kumaun University, Nainital-263001, Uttarakhand, India. ManojKumarArya Insect Biodiversity Laboratory, Department of Zoology, D.S.B. Campus, Kumaun University, Nainital-263001, Uttarakhand, India.

Correspondence: Dr. Manoj Kumar Arya Insect Biodiversity Laboratory, Department of Zoology, D.S.B. Campus, Kumaun University, Nainital-263001, Uttarakhand, India.

Study on the abundance and diversity of dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Corbett Tiger Reserve,

Uttarakhand, India

Dayakrishna, Manoj Kumar Arya Abstract A study on the abundance, species richness and diversity of Odonate fauna in and around Corbett Tiger Reserve was conducted during 2013-2015. A total of 420 individuals of Odonates belonging to 4 families and 19 species under two suborders were recorded during the entire study period. Suborder Anisoptera was represented by family Libellulidae and suborder Zygoptera was represented by the families Coenagrionidae, Chlorocyphidae and Calopterygidae. Libellulidae was the most dominant family with 15 species constituting 92.14% of the total recorded individuals of Odonates followed by Coenagrionidae with 2 species and constituting 6.19% of the total recorded individuals, Calopterygidae and Chlorocyphidae (1 species each), respectively. Orthetrum pruinosum neglectum Rambur was the most abundant species constituting 29.76% of the total number of individuals of Odonates followed by Aethriamanta brevipennis Rambur (14.52%), Orthetrum glaucum (Brauer) (12.62%) and Crocothemis s. servilia (Drury) (8.80%), respectively. On the other hand, Rhinocypha f. fenestrella Rambur, Palpopleura s. sexmaculata (Fabricius) and Palpopleura sp. were recorded less abundant species during the entire study period. Maximum number of species and individuals of Odonates were recorded during rainy season followed by summer and winter. Similarly, maximum values of species diversity were recorded during the rainy season followed by summer and winter. Keywords: Abundance, Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR), diversity, Odonates, richness, species 1. Introduction The order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), comprising three suborders Anisoptera, Anisozygoptera and Zygoptera are one of ancient group of Insects [1] and considered as an important link in the food chain of any forest ecosystem [2]. Generally, they are known as “guardians of the watershed” [3] and their rich diversity and habitat specificity make them ideal tools for assessing freshwater ecosystem health [4]. Globally, 5,740 species of Odonates are known of this 470 species representing 139 genera and 19 families have been reported from India [5]. Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR), endowed with unique and exceptionally rich biodiversity, is one of the best suitable habitats for tiger in the world. However, different vertebrates of CTR have been studied for many occasions but a little information is available regarding invertebrates particularly Odonates of CTR [18-20]. Apart from the CTR, various studies have been conducted on Odonates from different parts of the world [1, 2, 4, 6-17]. Therefore, the present study was conducted to explore the abundance, species richness and diversity of Odonates in and around CTR, Uttarakhand, India. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1 Study area Corbett Tiger Reserve (29o13’-29o35’ N and 78o33’-79o46’ E) is located in the hilly districts of Nainital and Pauri Garhwal in the southern part of Uttarakhand, India (Figure 1). With 1318 sq. km, Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) covers a large area including Corbett National Park, Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary and an additional reserve forest. The elevation ranges from 400-1200m. CTR falls in the subtropical climate zone with annual rainfall varying from 1400- 2800 mm. Temperature of the area varies between 11 0C to 41 0C. Climatically, the area is unique and has three distinct seasons i.e. winter (November to February), summer (March-June) and rainy (July-October). The CTR mainly supports northern dry deciduous vegetation dominated by Shorea robusta along with its associate species. River Ramganga coursing sinuously through CTR and with its subsidiary streams is only source of water to the wildlife of the reserve. To carry out the present study four sites with varied habitat type were selected in and around CTR (Table 1).

 

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Fig 1: Map showing different study sites in and around Corbett Tiger Reserve

Table 1: Characteristic features of different study sites in the landscape of Corbett Tiger Reserve

S. N. Study Sites Division Elevation Coordinates Habitat status

1. Jhirna (Site-1) Corbett 330 m N 29025.332” E 79059.943”

Open, dry and scrubby

2. Bijrani (Site-2) Corbett 393 m N 29033.096” E 790 06.576”

Moist and riverine

3. Garjia (Site-3) Ramnagar 433 m N29029.708” E 790 08.159”

Open, dry and scrubby

4. Mohaan (Site-4) Ramnagar 508 m N 29058.472” E 79008.461”

Moist and riverine

2.2 Sampling of Odonates Sampling of Odonates was carried out from July 2013 to June 2015 in different study sites selected in and around Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR). Random sampling was carried out by direct searching methods following Sutherland [21] at a thirty days interval during the period of 10:00 to 16:00 hours, because Odonates are found mostly active during midday due to their dependence on sunlight directly to regulate their body temperature [16]. Identification of Odonates was carried out with the help of Odonates identification guide [5, 22- 24]. 2.3 Data analysis In order to compare the diversity of Odonates across the different sites as well as different seasons various measures of diversity were calculated by using the program Past 3.4 [25]. 3. Results and Discussion 3.1 Species composition and abundance: A total of 420 individuals of Odonates belonging to 19 species under 4 families were recorded during the entire study period (Table 2). On the basis of total number of species Libellulidae was the most dominant family with 15 species followed by Coenagrionidae (2 species), Chlorocyphidae and Calopterygidae (1 species each). On the basis of total number of individuals recorded, Libellulidae was the most dominant family constituting

29.76% of the total number of recorded Odonates. Orthetrum pruinosum neglectum (Rambur) was the most abundant species of this family followed by Aethriamanta brevipennis (Ramber) (14.52%), Orthetrum glaucum (Brauer) (13.30%) and Crocothemis s. servilia (Drury) (8.80%), respectively. Family Coenagrionidae was the second most dominant family and constituted 6.19% of the total individuals of Odonates recorded during the study period. Pseudagrion r. rubriceps Selys was the most abundant species and accounted for 61.54% of the total individuals of this family. Family Chlorocyphidae and Calopterygidae, both were represented by a single species constituting 0.24% and 1.43% of the total number of individuals of the Odonates, respectively. Across the entire study period, Orthetrum pruinosum neglectum Rambur was the most abundant species constituting 29.76% of the total number of individuals of Odonates recorded followed by Aethriomanta brevipennis Rambur (14.52%), Orthetrum glaucum (Brauer) (12.62%) and Crocothemis s. servilia (Drury) (8.80%), respectively. Whereas, Rhinocypha f. fenestrella Rambur (0.24% of the total Odonates), along with Palpopleura s. sexmaculata (Fabricius) and Palpopleura sp. (both accounted for 0.47% of the total Odonates), was the least abundant species during the entire study period.

 

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Table 2: Species composition and relative abundance of different species of Odonates recorded from Corbett Tiger Reserve during

2013-15

Taxonomic Composition

(Order: Odonata) Common Name

Relative Abundance

2013-14

2014-15

Suborder: Zygoptera (Damselflies)

Family: Coenagrionidae

Ceriagrion coromandelianum (Fabricius, 1798)

Coromandel Marsh Dart

2.92 1.65

Pseudagrion r. rubriceps Selys, 1876

Saffron-Faced Blue Dart

4.18 3.31

Family: Chlorocyphidae

Rhinocypha f. fenestrella (Rambur, 1842)

Peacock Jewel 0.42 -

Family: Calopterygidae

Neurobasis ch. chinensis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Stream Glory 1.25 1.65

Suborder: Anisoptera (Dragonflies)

Family: Libellulidae

Acisoma p. panorpoides Rambur, 1842

Trumpet Tail 1.67 1.10

Aethriamanta brevipennis (Rambur, 1842)

Scarlet Marsh Hawk

14.64 14.36

Brachythemis contaminata (Fabricius, 1793)

Ditch Jewel 2.51 -

Crocothemis s. servilia (Drury, 1770)

Ruddy Marsh Skimmer

9.20 8.28

Orthetrum glaucum (Brauer, 1865)

Blue Marsh Hawk

12.13 13.25

Orthetrum pruinosum neglectum (Rambur, 1842)

Crimson-Tailed Marsh Hawk

27.19 33.14

Orthetrum s. sabina (Drury, 1770)

Green Marsh Hawk

2.51 6.07

Orthetrum taeniolatum (Schneider, 1845)

Taineolate Marsh Hawk

3.76 3.31

Orthetrum t. triangulare (Selys, 1878)

Blue-Tailed Forest Hawk

4.18 3.86

Palpopleura s. sexmaculata (Fabricius, 1787)

Blue-Tailed Yellow Skimmer

0.83 -

Palpopleura sp. - 0.83 -

Pantala flavescens (Fabricius, 1798)

Wandering Glider 1.67 0.55

Tholymis tillarga (Fabricius, 1798)

Coral-Tailed Cloud Wing

2.09 2.76

Trithemis festiva (Rambur, 1842)

Black Stream Glider

5.85 6.62

Trithemis pallidinervis Selys, 1889

Long-Legged Marsh Glider

2.09 -

In the present study, site no.4 supported the maximum number of Odonates species (17) followed by site no. 3 (15 species), site no. 2 (13 species) and site no. 1 (12 species), respectively. Five species were common in all the four study sites, while site no. 1 and 3 had one common species. On the other hand, site no 3 and 4 supported 2 common species. During the entire study period Rhinocypha f. fenestrella Rambur was recorded from site-1only. Among the 19 species of Odonates

Ceriagrion coromandelianum (Fabricius) and Tholymis tillarga (Fabricius) were reported first time from the CTR during the present study period. A total of 420 individuals belonging to 19 species of Odonates were recorded from different sites of CTR during the present study period. In comparison, 37 species of Odonates belonging to eight families have been reported from Corbett Tiger Reserve [18-20]. Similarly, six species belonging to 4 families of Odonates have been reported from Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, India. Platycnemididae was the most dominant family with 3 species, followed by Synlestidae, Aeshnidae and Cordulegasteridae (1 each) [6]. In addition, 42 species of Odonates with their habitat ecology have been reported from Sahastradhara (Sulphur springs) of Dehradun [7]. Clausnitzer [8] has documented 194 species of Odonates belonging to 11 families from Kenya. Libellulidae, with 75 species, was the dominant family followed by Coenagrionidae (43), Gomphidae (25), Aeshnidae (15), Lestidae (9), Cordulidae (7), Chlorocyphidae (7), Protoneuridae (5), Platycnemididae (5), Calopterygidae (2) and Megapodagrionidae (1). Few workers have reported 6 species of Odonates under 2 families from Great Himalayan National Park, Western Himalaya. Libellulidae was the most dominant family with 4 species while aeshnidae was represented by only 2 species [9]. Similarly, 23 species of Odonates under 4 families have been listed from Annamalai University of Tamilnadu. Libellulidae (13) was the most dominant family followed by Coenagrionidae (5), Aeshnidae (4) and Gomphidae (1) [10]. Some workers have reported 17 species belonging to 4 families of Odonates from Rajaji National Park, India. Libellulidae was the most dominant family with 9 species, followed by Coenagrionidae (5), Chlorocyphidae (2) and Gomphidae (1) [2]. Few workers have reported 27 species of Odonates representing 8 families from a wetland area in Hanwella, Sri Lanka. With 11 species Libellulidae was the most dominant family followed by Coenagrionidae (7 species), Gomphidae (3 species), Protoneuridae (2 species), Chlorocyphidae, Platycnemididae, Aeshnidae and Cordulidae (1 species each) [15]. Some workers have reported 58 species of Odonates representing 37 genera from 9 families in buffer area of Similipal Tiger Reserve, Eastern Ghat, India. Libellulidae was the dominant family with 31 species, followed by Coenagrionidae (11), Calopterygidae (3), Platycnemididae (3), Protoneuridae (2), Lestidae (2), Chlorocyphidae (2), Gomphidae (2) and Aeshnidae (2) [13]. Moreover, 58 species of Odonates under 37 genera and 9 families have been reported from Buffer areas of Similipal Tiger Reserve, Eastern Ghat, India [13]. Similarly, 41 species of Odonate fauna belonging to 7 families and 31 genera have documented from three tiger reserves of Madhya Pradesh, Central India [16]. On the other hand, 46 species of dragonflies and damselflies have recorded from Mula and Mutha river basins at Maharastra India [4]. More recently, 68 species of Odonates belonging to 44 genera and 10 families Chhattisgarh, India [1] whereas, 33 species of dragonflies and damselflies representing 4 families have been reported from Umiam, Meghalaya, India [17]. 3.2 Species richness and diversity of Odonates During the study period Simpson, Shannon, Margalef, Fisher-alpha and Berger-Parker indices were calculated as a measure of diversity of Odonates in different study sites as well as different seasons. Maximum species richness was recorded during the rainy season (18 species), followed by winter (14 species) and summer (11species). Eight species were common during all the three season. Among the total species of Odonates 3 species were common during the summer and

 

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rainy season, while 9 species were common in rainy and winter. Across the different study sites species richness was higher in site-4 (17 species) which was characterized by marshy riverine habitat and dense sal forest. However, during the second year of study, this site was represented by only 13 species of Odonates. Decline of species richness in this site during the second year of the study was possibly due to habitat destruction by various development activities. Site-1 (Jhirna) was represented by 12 and 7 species only during 2013-14 and 2014-15, respectively. Thus lower species richness of

Odonates in this site (Jhirna) indicates that Odonates profoundly rely on aquatic habitat for survival. Similarly, across the study sites, maximum values of species diversity was recorded from site-4 (Mohaan) followed by site-3 (Bijrani), site- 2 (Garjia) and site-1(Jhirna), respectively (Figure-2). During both the years of study and across the different season, maximum values of species richness, abundance and different diversity indices of Odonates was observed during the rainy season followed by winter and summer, respectively (Table 3).

Fig 2: Diversity indices calculated for the Odonates in different study sites in and around CTR during 2013-14 and 2014-15. During the present study, maximum value of species richness and diversity of Odonates were recorded during the rainy season supporting the earlier observation [2]. On the other hand, species diversity declined with increase in dryness of environmental conditions, as in summer season. It is believed that scarcity of water during the summer season creates a challenge to the survival of Odonates because their life cycle mainly depends upon aquatic environment [16]. Thus the

present study reveals that the CTR with its adjacent landscape harbours rich diversity of Odonates. However, inside the CTR various anthropogenic activities have been restricted except eco-tourism but destruction of suitable habitats of Odonate fauna around CTR by local villagers is a matter of concern. Therefore, public awareness is necessary to conserve the suitable habitats of these economically important invertebrate organisms.

Table 3: Community structure of Odonates across different seasons in and around CTR during 2013-15

Diversity Indices 2013-14 2014-15

Summer Rainy Winter Summer Rainy Winter

Species Richness 11 18 14 10 13 11

Individuals 36 120 83 48 81 52

Dominance- D 0.13 0.12 0.15 0.18 0.15 0.19

Simpson 1-D 0.86 0.87 0.85 0.82 0.84 0.81

Shannon –H 2.18 2.41 2.23 1.97 2.17 1.98

Margalef 2.79 3.55 2.94 2.35 2.73 2.53

Fisher-alpha 5.40 5.87 4.82 3.84 4.37 4.26

Berger-Parker 0.22 0.31 0.26 0.33 0.31 0.36

 

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4. Acknowledgments The authors are thankful to the Head, Department of Zoology, D.S.B. Campus, Kumaun University, Nainital, for providing necessary facilities. Sincere thanks to Director, Corbett Tiger Reserve, D.F.O., Ramnagar Forest Division, for permission and cooperation to carry out the present study. Financial assistance provided by University Grant Commission, New Delhi during the study period is gratefully acknowledged. 5. References 1. Dawn P, Chandra K. Dragonflies and Damselflies of

Chhattisgarh, India. Check List 2014; 10(5):1104-1109. 2. Vashishth N, Joshi PC, Singh A. Odonata community

dynamics in Rajaji National Park, India. Fraseria (N.S.) 2002; 7:21-25.

3. Clausnitzer V, Dijkstra KDB, Koch R, Boudot JP, Darwall WRT, Kipping J et al. Focus on African freshwaters: hotspots of dragonfly diversity and conservation concern. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2012; 13(3):129-134.

4. Kulkarni AS, Subramanian KA. Habitat and seasonal distribution of Odonata (Insecta) of Mula and Mutha river basins, Maharastra, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa. 2013; 5(7):4084-4095.

5. Subramanian KA. Dragonflies of India- A Field Guide. New Delhi: Vigyan Prasar, India Offset Press, 2009, 168.

6. Kumar A. Odonates. Fauna of conservation areas: Zoological Survey of India. Fauna of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve 1997; 9:45-47.

7. Kumar A, Mitra A. Odonata diversity at Sahastradhara (sulphur springs), Dehradun, India, with notes on their habitat ecology. Fraseria (N.S.) 1998; 5:37-45.

8. Clausnitzer V.A. checklist of the dragonflies (Odonata) of Kenya, African Journal of Ecology. 1999; 37(4):400-418.

9. Uniyal VP, Mitra A, Mathur PK. Dragonfly fauna (Insecta: Odonata) in Great Himalayan National Park, Western Himalaya. Annals of Forestry 2000; 8(1):116-119.

10. Asaithambi M, Manickavasagam S. Odonata of Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamilnadu, India. Zoos’ Print Journal. 2002; 17(2):704-706.

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12. Arulprakash R, Gunathilagaraj K. Abundance and diversity of Odonata in temporary water bodies of Coimbatore and Salem districts in Tamilnadu. Journal of Threatened Taxa. 2010; 2(8):1099-1102.

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15. Lankika MDH, Karunaratne MMSC, Conniff K. Species composition of Odonate fauna in Meegahawatta, a Wetland Area in Hanwella, Sri Lanka. Journal of Tropical Forestry and Environment. 2012; 2(2):37-42.

16. Das SK, Sahoo PK, Dash N, Marathe S, Mahato S, Dashahare A et al. Odonates of three selected tiger reserves of Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Check List 2013; 9(3):528-532.

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Damselflies) of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Research Complex for NEH Region Campus, Umiam, Meghalaya, India. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies. 2014; 2(6):16-21.

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Statistics Version 3.04. http://folk.uio.no/ohammer/past/ Accessed on 25 November 2014.