A note on emergence and oviposition of Paragomphus nyasicus Kimmins at Lake Malawi, Malawi (Anisoptera: Gomphidae)

In the night of 22 to 23 Sept. 2001, emergence of the sp. was observed at Chembe village, Lake Malawi. About one individual per 1 metre beach emerged on a strip of 50 m length, all exuviae were very close to the waterline. Most individuals emerged after midnight, 6 to 9 h after sunset which is later than previously reported for tropical gomphids. This emergence delay may either be typical for P. nyasicus or be caused by human activity at the beach which lasted until well after dusk. The sex ratio was equal. $ 9 oviposited by abdomen dipping onto the sand that has just been touched by the tiny lake waves. The dipping frequency appeared to be correlated to the frequency by which these little wavelets would roll onto the sand. <J 6 patrolled or perched on the sand very close to the waterline but did not appear to show territorial activity.