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DRAGONFLIES

Although in spring and early summer rivers and streams cascade down from the Thásos mountains, the majority of these soon dry up and by July permanent water bodies are extremely scarce on the island. A couple of kilometres up behind the mountain village of Maries there is the small reservoir of Lákos Kastróu [see van de Mast & Gruwel (1999) for details] but otherwise breeding habitat for dragonflies is in very short supply.

Lopau (1999) summarised available published and unpublished records of Odonata from Thásos up the end of 1998, having visited the island in May 1996 and June 1997. His records cover a total of twenty-six species, amongst which the record of Ceriagrion tenellum at Skala Prinos is noteworthy as Askew (1988) only indicates records from Crete in Greece. To this list, I can add the record of a single specimen of Lindenia tetraphylla, photographed on the outskirts of Limenas in June 1982. This scarce species (determined by S.J. Brookes, BM(NH)) breeds in large water bodies and is unlikely to be resident on Thásos. Caliaeschna, Lindenia and both Cordulegaster species are rare in Europe as a whole, with centres of distribution further to the east.

The most comprehensive text for identification is Askew (1988), which also provides an indication of which other dragonflies may occur in this part of Greece.

ODONATA CHECKLIST (nomenclature after Askew 1988)

ZYGOPTERA

Calopteryx virgo festiva (Brullé)

Lestes viridis (Vander Linden)

Lestes barbarus (F.)

Lestes macrostigma (Eversmann)

Platycnemis pennipes (Pallas)

Cercion lindeni (Sélys)

Ischnura pumilio (Charpentier)

Ischnura elegans (Vander Linden)

Ceriagrion tenellum (Villers)

ANISOPTERA

Aeshna mixta Latreille

Aeshna affinis Vander Linden

Aeshna isosceles (Müller)

Anax imperator Leach

Anax parthenope Sélys

Hemianax ephippiger (Burmeister)

Caliaeschna microstigma (Schneider)

Onychogomphus forcipatus (Linnaeus)

Lindenia tetraphylla (Vander Linden)

Cordulegaster picta Sélys

Cordulegaster insignis Schneider

Somatochlora flavomaculata (Vander Linden)

Orthetrum cancellatum (L.)

Orthetrum brunneum (Fonscolombe)

Orthetrum coerulescens (F.)

Crocothemis erythraea (Brullé)

Sympetrum meridionale (Sélys)

Sympetrum fonscolombei (Sélys)

REFERENCES

Askew, R.R. (1988). The dragonflies of Europe. Harley Books, Colchester.

Lopau, W. 1999. Die Libellenfauna der griechischen Inseln Thássos, Samothráki und Limnos. Libellula, Supplement 2: 43-61.

van de Mast, T. & Gruwel, R. [1999]. Walking on Thassos. (Privately published booklet).