Exuviae 7(1): 27-30 September, 2000
Rediscovery of Coenagrion hastulatum
(Charpentier, 1825) in Slovenia
(Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae)
Matjaž BEDJANIČ1 & Sašo WELDT2
1
Fram 117/a, SI-2313 Fram, Slovenia
E-mail:
[email protected]2
Delavska ulica 26, SI-2215 Ceršak, Slovenia
E-mail:
[email protected]Received March 17, 2000 / Revised and Accepted May 1, 2000
At the pond Jezerce in the vicinity of Rogla, Pohorje Mts., NE Slovenia, four
males and one tandem of the species were recorded on 30-VI-1999. The
occurrence of the species on the southern border of its European range is outlined
and a short discussion on its threat status in Slovenia is appended.
PONOVNO ODKRITJE BARJANSKEGA ŠKRATCA COENAGRION HASTULATUM
(CHARPENTIER, 1825) V SLOVENIJI (ZYGOPTERA: COENAGRIONIDAE) – Na ribniku
Jezerce v bližini Rogle, Pohorje, SV Slovenija, so bili dne 30-VI-1999 zabeleženi
štirje samčki in en tandem barjanskega škratca. Predstavljeno je pojavljanje vrste
na južnem robu njenega območja razširjenosti v Evropi ter dodana kratka razprava
o njeni ogroženosti v Sloveniji.
During the field trip to Pohorje Mts. on 30-VI-1999 a stop at
the pond Jezerce (15020'E 46029’20’’N; UTM WM 25; NE
Slovenia) was made. Sunny weather was optimal for dragonfly
observation and in only a few minutes a first male of Coenagrion
hastulatum was caught. Due to the lack of experience with this
species, in which black abdominal markings often underlay
considerable variation, the species determination was immediately
checked and confirmed with WENDLER & NÜß (1992). In the
next hour of careful searching, 3 additional males and 1 tandem of
the species were observed.
The last records of C. hastulatum in Slovenia are dated almost
40 years ago, when the species was recorded by KIAUTA (1959,
1960, 1961, 1962) at the Pokljuka and Jelovica plateaus in Triglav
National Park, Julian Alps, NW Slovenia. In spite of systematic,
but low-effort search, the occurrence of the species on Pokljuka
and Jelovica could not be confirmed in the last decade. That was
the reason for KOTARAC (1997) to preliminarily declare C.
hastulatum as extinct in Slovenia, which fortunately, at least for
the time being, proved to be too pessimistic. Since the new record
is of great regional interest, more details on the locality and
28 M. Bedjanič & S. Weldt
distribution of C. hastulatum in Europe, as well as a comment on
nature conservation aspect, have been added in the following lines.
The pond Jezerce, where the new population of C. hastulatum
was discovered, lies approximately 4km north of the Rogla
Recreation and Tourist Centre as the crow flies, at an altitude of
1230m. It is situated in a one-side open kettle-like depression with
slopes covered mainly by spruce forest. Its main inflow are a forest
stream on the north-eastern side and some smaller springs on the
forest margin. Due to its relatively high elevation and remote
location, the pond has been used very extensively in the past
decades. For dragonflies, the most interesting is its' northern part,
with slightly raised small area of typical peat-bog vegetation and
minerotrophic shallow water zones overgrown by Carex sp.,
Equisetum sp. and also partly by Typha latifolia and Phragmites
australis. Apart of very abundant Enallagma cyathigerum, only a
small number of dragonflies, e. g. Phyrrhosoma nymphula, Aeshna
cyanea, Leucorrhinia dubia, Libellula depressa, L. quadrimaculata
and a lost male of Calopteryx splendens were recorded on the wing
that morning. In previous years Lestes sponsa, Aeshna grandis, A.
juncea, Anax imperator and Sympetrum danae have also been
reported from this locality by KOTARAC (1995, 1996).
From the zoogeographical point of view Coenagrion
hastulatum can be classified as an eurosibiric faunal element,
distributed from east Siberia to Central Europe (STERNBERG &
RÖHN, 1999). The southern border of its European range runs
over southern Alps in France, northern Italy, Austria and Slovenia,
with south-western disjunction in the Pyrenees and south-eastern
disjunction on the Balkans in Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria.
In Italy C. hastulatum is relatively rare and limited to the
northern part of the country. According to CARCHINI et al. (1985)
it was reported from Lombardia, Veneto and Trentino. For the
latter region TAGLIAPIETRA & ZANOCCO (1998) compiled the
distribution map with three recent records indicated. Some years
ago the species was also discovered at a single location in the
north-eastern part of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, very close to the state
border of Slovenia (PECILE, 1991). The nearest known localities
of C. hastulatum to the Pohorje are those from southern Austria,
where it is considered very rare and endangered. There are only
two recent records reported from Carinthia (HOLZINGER et al.,
1999) and in southern Styria it is known only from a locality north
of Graz (STARK, 1976). On the other hand, the species is not
uncommon in northern and north-western parts of Austria (RAAB
& CHWALA, 1997). In Hungary the published records of C.
hastulatum are very scarce (DEVAI et al., 1994). Last records
were known from Rétság in northern part of the country, near the
Rediscovery of Coenagrion hastulatum in Slovenia 29
Slovakian border, but the original habitat was destroyed. Therefore
it has to be regarded as extinct or near to extinction in Hungary (A.
AMBRUS, pers. comm.). Up to now the species has been reported
only once from Croatia (FRANKOVIĆ & HERLJEVIĆ, 1994),
however, the original record from the vicinity of Osijek (KOČA,
1925) is apparently based on a species determination error. Review
of the dragonfly collection in the Museum of Natural History in
Zagreb namely revealed that the two specimens taken by Ð. Koča
on 13-VII-1901 were misidentified and actually belong to
Enallagma cyathigerum (Charp.) (T. BOGDANOVIĆ, pers.
comm.). Further south there are some relict populations of C.
hastulatum in Montenegro, where the species was recorded by
ADAMOVIĆ et al. (1996) from two mountain lakes in the
Durmitor National Park, and in southern Serbia, where it was
found at high elevation lake Daićsko jezero on the Mt. Golija
(ADAMOVIĆ, 1990). According to BEŠOVSKI (1994), C.
hastulatum also occurs at four localities in Bulgaria, however,
lowland records from the eastern part of the country should be
checked again.
The new record is very encouraging from the dragonfly
conservation point of view, but on the other hand it also brings
responsibility to the nature conservation authorities to ensure long-
term preservation of the species habitats on Pohorje Mts. The pond
Jezerce has already been proposed for legal protection as a
hydrological, zoological and botanical natural monument,
however, no guidelines for its appropriate management have yet
been made. As far as dragonfly fauna is concerned the pond
Jezerce is important also as a habitat of Sympetrum danae and
Aeshna juncea, which both are very endangered in Slovenia
(KOTARAC, 1997). The current good status of dragonfly
population can only be ensured with further extensive use of the
pond, which strictly excludes all negative consequences of fishery
- especially eutrophication, negative impact of fishermen and
fishes on vegetation, and direct high predation pressure by
introduced fish population. With the planned Pohorje Regional
Park the nature conservation issues of wider public concern and
national importance will hopefully have priority over other
interests.
Acknowledgements
The author is thankful to Dr Andras Ambrus (Kophaza, Hungary) and Mr
Tomislav Bogdanović (Osijek, Croatia) for their valuable comments concerning
the status of Coenagrion hastulatum in Hungary and Croatia.
30 M. Bedjanič & S. Weldt
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