Dragonfly fauna (Insecta: Odonata) of Papuk Nature Park, Croatia

Abstract

Odonata is an amphibious insect order constituting an important link between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Members of the group are widely used as bioindicators of freshwater habitat health. The Odonata fauna of a total of 44 freshwater habitats in the wider area of Papuk Nature Park was investigated in the spring and summer of 2017 and 2019. Twenty-three lotic and 21 lentic habitats were included in the study. We recorded 39 Odonata species, witha higher species richness (i.e. 35) documented at lentic than at lotic habitats (i.e. 16 species). Calopteryx virgo was the most widespread species in the area, while Aeshna affinis, Epitheca bimaculata, and Sympetrum meridionale were the rarest. The most frequently recorded species at lentic sites were Platycnemis pennipes, Coenagrion puella, and Ischnura elegans, while Calopteryx virgo, Onychogomphus forcipatus, and Cordulegaster bidenatata were the most common species in lotic habitats. Although we recorded numerous anthropogenic pressures in freshwater habitats in the Park, 11 recorded species are of conservation concern, which highlights the conservation value of aquatic habitats in the study area. Our results represent the first Odonata checklist of Papuk Nature Park, and as such, they are an important contribution to our knowledge of the Odonata fauna and species distribution in Croatia.