Selysiothemis nigra (Vander L.) new for the fauna of the Ukraine (Anisoptera: Libellulidae)

The two S. nigra records made in 2006 in the vicinity of Karadag Nature Reserve (Crimea prov., Feodosiya distr.; 45°00’N, 35°15’E) are the first from the Ukraine. A female was collected on 15 July near the Biological Station of the Karadag Nature Reserve, and a male was taken on 22 July at a hill above the Lis’ya Bay, SW of Primors’ke village. The specimens had no visible damage, therefore it is assumed that they originate from a population in the vicinity. They were found in arid, rocky vaults with scanty shrubs and grasses, a common habitat on the Black Sea coast of the southeastern Crimea. The nearest freshwater reservoir is the Otuzka river that flows into the Black Sea on the territory of Primors’ke village. The river is at this locality shallow, with vegetated banks and a bottom covered by blanket algae. It is possible that the specimens originated from some pools, located remote from the river, i.e. in valleys between the Karadag mountain ridges. S. nigra is widespread from Central Asia through the Middle East to the Mediterranean, but it is scarce in large portions of its range. The species was thus far not known from the Black Sea region and the record from the Ukraine is a large extension of its distribution range. The nearest records are from SW Bulgaria (M. MARINOV, 2000, Pocket field guide to the dragonflies of Bulgaria, Eventus, Sofia), the Mediterranean coasts of Turkey (V.J. KALKMAN & G.J. VAN PELT, 2006, Brachylron 10: 83-153) and Greece (W. LOPAU & A. WENDLER, 1995, Naturk. Reiseber. 5: 1-108), as well as the northern and southern Causcasus (H.A. KETENCHIEV&A. Yu. HARITONOV, 1998, Opredelilel' strekoz Kavkaza, Kabardino-Balkarskiy gos. Univ., Nal’chik).