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THE ODONATA OF THE NORTHERN CORDILLERAN PEATLANDS OF NORTH AMERICA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Sydney G. Cannings  and
Robert A. Cannings
Sydney G. Cannings
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 2A9
Robert A. Cannings
Affiliation:
Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8V 1X4
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Abstract

The peatlands of the northern Cordillera of North America (consisting of the mountain ranges and intermontane lowlands and plateaus of British Columbia, Alberta, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Alaska) support a distinctive Odonata fauna. Forty species in six families and 12 genera are typical of northwestern peatlands and another 12 species are occasional inhabitants of these environments. Of the 40 species, eight (20%) are peatland obligates and four (10%) almost always occur in such habitats. The remaining 28 (70%) are generalists and live in a wide range of aquatic habitats; nevertheless, they often are common inhabitants of, or are even dominant in, peatland environments. The fauna is dominated by the genera Aeshna Fabricius and Somatochlora Selys, with 11 and 10 species, respectively. It is also dominated by species restricted to Boreal regions (25 species, 62.5%), six (15%) of which have Holarctic distributions. The remainder of the fauna consists of eight species (20%) ranging transcontinentally in Transition Zone forests south of the Boreal Forest, five (12.5%) restricted to the Cordillera, and two (5%) with wide distributions in North America. Notes and maps summarize our knowledge of biogeographical information and previously unpublished records are listed. Significant southerly range extensions for species such as Coenagrion interrogatum (Hagen), Aeshna septentrionalis Burmeister, A. sitchensis Hagen, A. subarctica Walker, Somatochlora septentrionalis (Hagen), and Leucorrhinia patricia Walker are reported. Ecological and natural history data are outlined for each species. There do not appear to be any clear differences between the faunas of bogs and fens; dragonflies seem to respond to the habitat's form and structure rather than to its acidity or nutrient levels. Distinctive species associations result. A better understanding of the preferences of these dragonflies for different peatland microhabitats must await detailed research on oviposition behaviour and larval ecology.

Résumé

Les tourbières du nord de la cordillère d’Amérique du Nord (montagnes, vallées et plateaux de la Colombie-Britannique, de l’Alberta, des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, du Yukon et de l’Alaska) rassemblent une faune particulière d’odonates. Quarante espèces appartenant à six familles et à 12 genres sont typiques des zones tourbeuses du nord-ouest et 12 autres espèces sont des habitants occasionnels de ces milieux. Parmi les 40 espèces, huit (20%) sont restreintes aux milieux tourbeux, et quatre (10%) se retrouvent presque exclusivement dans ces milieux. Les autres espèces, 28 (70%), sont des généralistes et occupent toute une gamme de milieux aquatiques; elles se retrouvent néanmoins souvent dans les tourbières et même parfois y prédominent. La faune est dominée par les genres Aeshna Fabricius et Somatochlora Selys, représentés par 11 et 12 espèces respectivement; elle est également dominée par des espèces strictements boréales (25 espèces, 62,5%), dont six (15%) ont une répartition holarctique. Le reste de la faune comprend huit espèces (20%) de répartition transcontinentale dans les forêts de la zone de transition au sud de la forêt boréale, cinq espèces (12,5%) restreintes à la cordillère et deux espèces (5%) répandues partout en Amérique du Nord. Des notes et des cartes résument nos connaissances sur la biogéographie des espèces et contiennent des additions inédites. Certaines espèces ont été trouvées beaucoup plus au sud que prévu d’après les répartitions connues antérieurement, particulièrement Coenagrion interrogatum (Hagen), Aeshna septentrionalis Burmeister, A. sitchensis Hagen, A. subarctica Walker, Somatochlora septentrionalis (Hagen) et Leucorrhinia patricia Walker. Des notes écologiques et des détails sur la biologie de chaque espèce sont donnés. Il ne semble pas y avoir de différence marquée entre la faune des tourbières ombrotrophes et celle des tourbières minérotrophes; les libellules semblent réagir à la forme et à la structure de leur habitat plutôt qu’à son acidité ou à la quantité de matières nutritives qui s’y trouvent, ce qui donne lieu à des associations particulières d’espèces. Pour une meilleure compréhension des préférences de ces libellules pour différents microhabitats herbeux, il faudra procéder à des études détaillées de leur comportement de ponte et de leur écologie larvaire. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Research Article
Information
The Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada , Volume 126 , Supplement S169 , 1994 , pp. 89 - 110
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1994

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Footnotes

1

Present address: B.C. Conservation Data Centre, 780 Blanshard St., Victoria, B.C., Canada V8V lX4; Research Associate, Royal B.C. Museum, Victoria, B.C., Canada V8V 1X4.

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