In lowland tropical rainforest in eastern Venezuela the aquatic invertebrate fauna of 160 A. nudicaulis and 157 A. aquilega of 50-100 ml fluid capacity was inventoried. Larvae of L. siqueirai occurred in 35,3% of A. aquilega which has a small central tank and many axils but in only 11.0% of A. nudicaulis which possesses a larger central tank but fewer axils. The incidence of larvae was significantly higher in the dry (29.4%) than in the wet (16.6%) season. Up to 7 L. siqueirai larvae were recorded from individual A. aquilega, and the frequency distribution of larvae in this bromeliad sp. fits a negative binomial. The most abundant invertebrates in Aechmea were Diptera (Culicidae, Thaumaleidae, Chironomidae, Ceratopogonidae, Psychodidae, Tipulidae), Coleoptera (Helodidae), and oligochaete worms. Reductions in abundance among any of these taxa due to predation by L siqueirai could not be demonstrated. However, the predaceous mosquito Toxorhynchiles haemurrhoidalis was negatively associated with and suffered reduced survivorship in the presence of L. siqueirai, probably due to predation by the latter.

Odonatologica

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Societas Internationalis Odonatologica

L.P. Lounibos, J.H. Frank, C.E. Machado-Allison, J.C. Navarro, & P. Ocanto. (1987). Seasonality, abundance and invertebrate associates of Leptagrion siqueirai Santos in Aechmea bromeliads in Venezuelan rain forest (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae). Odonatologica, 16(2), 193–199.