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The life history of a tropical dragonfly: Cora marina (Odonata: Polythoridae) in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Gordon Pritchard
Gordon Pritchard
Affiliation:
Divison of Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N. W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4
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Abstract

The life history of Cora marina was followed for one year in two permanent streams at 600 m elevation in Guanacaste National Park; Costa Rica. The water temperature was c. 21°C year-round, but there was a distinct wet-dry seasonality, very little rain falling from January to May. In both streams, C. marina was univoltine. Adults first appeared at the beginning of May and the flight period coincided with the wet season. The availability of water-soaked logs as oviposition sites probably restricts reproduction to the wet season. Eggs hatched from mid-July to December. Recruitment to subsequent larval instars was slow during the wet season but increased at the start of the dry season. Final-instar larvae were collected from March to October. Oviposition in logs above the stream and the ability to live in the low oxygen conditions of the hyporheic zone probably allow eggs and small larvae to survive wet season spates.

El ciclo biológico de una libelula tropical: Cora marina (Odonata: Polythoridae) en Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Resumen

El ciclo biológico de Cora marina se estudió por un año en dos arroyos permanentes ubicados a 600 msnm en el Parque Nacional Guanacaste, Costa Rica. La temperatura del agua fué aproximademente 21°C todo el año, pero hubieron distintas estaciones secas y humedas con muy poca lluvia desde enero hasta mayo. En ambos arroyos C. marina fué univoltina. Los adultos aparecieron por primera vez al principio de mayo y el período de vuelo coincidió con la epoca lluviosa. La disponibilidad de troncos mojados como sitios de oviposicion probablemente restringe la reproductión a la epoca lluviosa. Los huevos eclosionaron desde mediados de julio y continuo hasta diciembre. Reclutamiento a los siguientes estadíos larvales fué lento durante el invierno pero aumento al principio del verano. Larvas en su último estadío fueron encontradas desde marzo hasta octubre. Oviposición en troncos encima del arroyo y la capacidad de vivir en el sustrato con un nivel de oxígeno bajo, probablemente permite que los huevos y las larvas pequeñas sobrevivan los torrentes del invierno.

Keywords

CoraCosta Ricadragonflieslife historyOdonataseasonality
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , July 1996 , pp. 573 - 581
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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