Odonatology

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Dragonflies in different stages of life
(Drury 1837)

The Odonatologie even dragonflies customer is the scientific discipline of Entomology (entomology), dedicated to the study of dragonflies tackles (Odonata). People who devote themselves to it scientifically or as a hobby researcher are called odonatologists or simply dragonfly researchers .

Areas of responsibility and goals of odonatology

Like other zoological scientific disciplines, odonatology can also be divided into three major scientific areas: taxonomy (description and classification), faunistics (research and documentation of the geographic distribution) and the biology of dragonflies (including lifestyle and behavior as well as reproductive conditions). Scientists who are well networked around the world support each other in more specific areas of their research and publish scientific papers in specialist journals such as Agrion . For the collection of long-term data on the faunistic presence of certain dragonfly species in connection with the local habitat structure and quality, some research areas are supported by amateur odonatologists and interested lay people, in particular by members of private nature conservation associations. This includes the officially approved catching, collecting, counting and measuring of individual specimens. This data, which is often compiled in collective forms, is evaluated, documented and finally published by scientists with regard to the way of life, behavior and distribution of certain species in order to make this information available to experts. On the basis of this data, special habitat requirements and threats to individual dragonfly species can be identified and appropriate species aid programs and protection measures can be developed. The cooperation with the forest and landscape conservation association and the environmental authorities is very successful.

National and international odonatological societies support and promote the professional world as private institutions, for example by enabling and intensifying contacts and the exchange of experience between dragonfly researchers at regular specialist conferences. Furthermore, they do valuable public relations work by making their organs available for scientific publications.

History of Odonatology

Beginning of odonatology

The systematics and nomenclature were at the beginning of odonatology. It begins with Volume I of the 10th edition of the Systema Naturae , which the Swedish naturalist Carl von Linné published in 1758. In it he combined all dragonflies into the genus Libellula - the name is the diminutive of the old name "Libella" for the hammerhead shark. He differentiated between thirteen European species and five from overseas. Otto Friedrich Müller from Copenhagen described another five species in 1764 in Fauna Insectorum Fridrichsdalina and in 1767 in Enumeratio ac descriptio libellularum agri Fridrichsdalensis . The Danish natural scientist Johann Christian Fabricius arranged some species in the new genus Aeshna , published the first descriptions of two other species and in 1798 revised the taxonomic system of insects in Entomologia systematica emendata et aucta , primarily based on the mouthparts. He created the term "Odonata" for the order of dragonflies. Since then there have been the three genera Libellula , Aeshna and Agrion . The latter had to be renamed Coenagrion because of nomenclature ailments .

Today's classification

In 1854 Edmond de Selys-Longchamps divided the order dragonflies in his Synopsis des Gomphines into the suborders large (Anisoptera) and small dragonflies (Zygoptera). In 1906 Anton Handlirsch added the suborder Urlibellen (Anisozygoptera), which only includes the family Epiophlebiidae . From an anatomical point of view, these four species lie between the large and small dragonflies and have therefore been classified into a separate suborder.

The following are the current families of dragonflies:

Pioneers in the field of odonatology

Edmond de Selys-Longchamps,
pioneer in the field of odonatology

Baron Edmond de Selys-Longchamps (1813–1900) is regarded as a pioneer and most important researcher in the field of odonatology. He created one of the largest collections and is considered to be the first to describe many hitherto unknown species. In his work Monographie des Calopterygines (1854) he classified dragonflies into individual families . James George Needham (1868-1957) carried out the first phylogenetic studies of dragonflies on the basis of wing veining according to the Comstock-Needham system , which he published in his work A Genealogic Study of Dragon-fly Wing Venation (1903).

Researcher in the field of odonatology

Scientists who, among other things, devoted themselves to a greater extent to odonatology were:

Professional societies

A number of specialist societies were founded around the department of odonatology, which deal with knowledge, protection and ecology relating to dragonflies. The largest in Germany is the Society of German-speaking Odonatologists (GdO) based in Mönchengladbach , which was founded in Bonn in 1982 . The organ is the journal Libellula , which appears twice a year.

The Worldwide Dragonfly Association is internationally positioned . She publishes the journals Agrion , International Journal of Odonatology and Odonatological Abstracts and holds scientific meetings worldwide. She is committed to the research and conservation of dragonflies, as well as raising human awareness for dragonflies.

Also represented internationally is the Societas Internationalis Odonatologica , SIO, the International Odonatological Foundation, based in Utrecht , which was founded in 1971. Since 1972 it has published the Odonatologica quarterly as an organ and specialist journal.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Andreas Scholz: Dragonflies - colorful and arrow-fast hunters. Michael Krebs, accessed June 17, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Eberhard G. Schmidt: Brief history of odonatology in Schleswig-Holstein . In: 30th annual meeting of the Society of German-speaking Odonatologists (GdO e.V.) . Lübeck 2011, p. 33 f .
  3. ↑ M. Edmond de Selys-Longchamps: Monograph des Caloptérygines . In: Mémoires de la Société Royale des Sciences de Liège . Born 9. Liège 1854, p. 1-291 .
  4. ↑ James G. Needham: A Genealogic Study of Dragon-fly Wing Venation . In: Proceedings of the United States National Museum . tape 26 . Ithaca 1903, p. 703-764 .
  5. ↑ Homepage of the Society of German-Speaking Odonatologists (GdO). Retrieved June 12, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Libellula. Society of German-speaking Odonatologists, accessed June 12, 2018 .
  7. ^ Agrion: Newsletter of the WDA. Worldwide Dragonfly Association, accessed June 12, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Homepage of the Worldwide Dragonfly Association (WDA). Retrieved June 12, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Homepage of the International Odonatological Foundation, Societas Internationalis Odonatologica (SIO). Retrieved June 12, 2018 .