Dragonflies - Kyzylkum desert, Uzbekistan (1 Viewer)

[Muppit17]

Apart from a number of Lesser emperors, I didn't see many dragonflies in Uzbekistan. However at a single site in the Kyzylkum desert on 30th May 2022, at grid ref 40.276, 63.282, I photographed a number of species, none of which I could immediately identify.

Has anyone any ideas?

 

[pdwinter]

1) Female Sympetrum fonscolombii (Red-veined Darter)
2) Female Selysiothemis nigra (Black Pennant)
3) Female Sympecma gobica
4) Male Sympecma gobica
5) ?
6) Male Orthetrum sp
7) Female Selysiothemis nigra (Black Pennant)

 

[ApusApus]

Isn't #5 another S. fonscolombii?


Shane

 

[pdwinter]

Isn't #5 another S. fonscolombii?


Shane

Could be! I find flying dragonflies a lot easier to ID if I can see them flying

I think that 6 could well be Orthetrum brunneum but I don't have a list of the Orthetrum sp of Uzbekistan so I don't if there are any similar species.

 

[ApusApus]

Could be! I find flying dragonflies a lot easier to ID if I can see them flying

I think that 6 could well be Orthetrum brunneum but I don't have a list of the Orthetrum sp of Uzbekistan so I don't if there are any similar species.

It probably is O. brunneum as there was a study of the Khorezm oasis in 2020 -2021 which found O. brunneum along with O. cancellatum, O.a. albistylum & O. sabina!


Shane

 

[Muppit17]

I have waited to respond until I received my copy of 'Atlas of the dragonflies & damselflies of West & Central Asia'. This has only just arrived and I am wading through the data here, acknowledging the comment that there is no data from Uzbekistan this century!

I am still trying to learn the species that are possible and also trying to understand what should be in this biome in the first place. Some of the species I can not see any good images of - which makes it doubly difficult.
Using Pauls numbering;
I agree that 2,5 & 7 are Black Pennants - no idea why I didn't realise at the time but diminutive size etc are distinctive enough.

3 & 4 as Sympecma gobica, Turkestan Winter Damsel. It certainly looks like the images I can find, although the text in the atlas suggests that it is mountain and forest species - although also mentions it is a altitudinal migrant. This area is true desert at 170m asl - the only species that has been recorded close is Siberian Winter Damsel

1 as Red-veined Darter. I agree it is a Sympetrum species and although it meets many of the criteria the veins are still black at the base rather than the normal yellow/red. Behaviour was not as the RV D I have seen, and I would have said it was slightly 'bulkier' than I would have expected. I can't find images of either Sandy S.arenicolor nor Steppe S. tibiaie as adult females to compare and dismiss.

6) Male Orthetrum sp. agreed. Not sure of using Khorezm as a similar location as it is in the river valley south of what is left of the Aral Sea. This is the primary watershed of the west of Uzbekistan and not a desert biome. (but never been there so can't directly compare). I suspect it is brunneum although the Keeled Skimmer ssp O.coerulescens anceps has apparently been found relatively near.

 

[pdwinter]

1) is female Sympetrum fonscolombii.

The confusion species for S.arenicolor is S.sinaiticum with a continuous black line along the sides of the first few segments of the abdomen in both sexes. Also S.arenicolor has clear wings whereas in your photo the orangey-yellow hindwing patch of fonscolombii can be seen. Female Red-veined Darters have yellow costas, antenodal crossveins (Ax) and node which show well in your insect's right wing. The yellow pterostigmas strongly bordered in black (a fonscolombii feature) can be seen in the left forewing - when viewed from below (as 3 Pt are in your pic) most Sympetrum species show pale pterostigmas.
So, as you can probably tell!, I don't think your insect is S.arenicolor - there are some nice pictures of S.arenicolor in Libellula supplement 9 (Atlas of the Odonata of the Mediterranean and North Africa).
However it could be Sympetrum tibiale about which I only know Dumont's 2018 paper in which there is the sentence "The problem of studying S.tibiale is perhaps best characterized by the fact that, to date, we still do not know of a single photograph of a living individual."

3 & 4) As far as I know the three Sympecma species are usually easily separated on the thorax markings.
I personally wouldn't take what is written on the geography / status in the West & Central Asia Atlas as the gospel truth. It is their best estimate of what the situation is and there will be large gaps in the knowledge.

6) As far as I know and from all the images I've seen, the frons of Orthetrum coerulescens anceps is brown as in the one we have here in the UK.

 

[Muppit17]

1) is female Sympetrum fonscolombii.

The confusion species for S.arenicolor is S.sinaiticum with a continuous black line along the sides of the first few segments of the abdomen in both sexes. Also S.arenicolor has clear wings whereas in your photo the orangey-yellow hindwing patch of fonscolombii can be seen. Female Red-veined Darters have yellow costas, antenodal crossveins (Ax) and node which show well in your insect's right wing. The yellow pterostigmas strongly bordered in black (a fonscolombii feature) can be seen in the left forewing - when viewed from below (as 3 Pt are in your pic) most Sympetrum species show pale pterostigmas.
So, as you can probably tell!, I don't think your insect is S.arenicolor - there are some nice pictures of S.arenicolor in Libellula supplement 9 (Atlas of the Odonata of the Mediterranean and North Africa).
However it could be Sympetrum tibiale about which I only know Dumont's 2018 paper in which there is the sentence "The problem of studying S.tibiale is perhaps best characterized by the fact that, to date, we still do not know of a single photograph of a living individual."

3 & 4) As far as I know the three Sympecma species are usually easily separated on the thorax markings.
I personally wouldn't take what is written on the geography / status in the West & Central Asia Atlas as the gospel truth. It is their best estimate of what the situation is and there will be large gaps in the knowledge.

6) As far as I know and from all the images I've seen, the frons of Orthetrum coerulescens anceps is brown as in the one we have here in the UK.

Thanks Paul
It is all discovery as far as I am concerned and thank both you and ApusApus for your help and experience.
Your comments on the Damsel was simply a point of note against what is written. Nothing else.

In terms of the Steppe Darter. The habitat is certainly better for Steppe than R-v D but migrants as well all know can turn up anywhere. I suspected that Sandy wouldn't be right. It is tantalising that the Atlas has a photo of a male Steppe, that suggests that the female could be very similar to the photo. I have to admit that having seen hundreds (if not thousands) of Rv D it is surprising it didnt 'feel' right as one. However I also acknowledge that even familiar species can seem odd in unusual surroundings. This one was many Km from any water (unlike the other species).

Again many thanks for your help

 

[pdwinter]

I have to admit that having seen hundreds (if not thousands) of Rv D it is surprising it didnt 'feel' right as one. However I also acknowledge that even familiar species can seem odd in unusual surroundings. This one was many Km from any water (unlike the other species).

Again many thanks for your help

If I wanted to get a definitive answer I would post to Dragonflies and Damselflies - Worldwide Odonata | Facebook which has people such as KJ Dijkstra amongst its members - this forum is unlikely to provide the answers

 

[pdwinter]

Muppit17

Did you have any in the field feel for what the 5th one - the flight shot - might be ?