Current topics in dragonfly biology

CORBET: The first topic that I suggest we discuss is this question: Do we know of any suspected cues for habitat selection by which males and females might be identifying the rendezvous? I have a few examples here to generate discussion. Gerhard Jurzitza 1 noticed that in Chile Antiagrion grinsburgi laid eggs only in the leaves of a fern, Blechnum chilense, along the banks of a stream. Eberhard Schmidt has told us in this Symposium that Erythromma viridulum has a very close association with Ceratophyllum. Dennis Paulson 2, some years ago, noticed that territorial males of Miathyria marcella are closely associated with the water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes; and Godley 3 has recently shown that the small larvae of Miathyria occur amongst the roots of Eichhornia, Mike Parr has noted 4 that males of Nesciothemis nigeriensis use the grass Echinochloa pyramidalis predominantly as territorial perches. And according to Hassan 5 the small libellulid Aethriamanta rezia in Nigeria perches on the water lettuce, Pistia stratiotes, and oviposits on the foliage.