New data and knowledge, but conservation concerns remain - IUCN Red List assessment of Sri Lanka's endemic Odonata

Abstract

According to published data, 131 dragonfly species from 12 families are currently known from Sri Lanka. The proportion of endemics is 51.1%, with as many as 59 species and 8 subspecies endemic to the island. This extraordinary level of endemicity makes the dragonflies of Sri Lanka an exceptionally interesting group for studies in biodiversity, zoogeography, phylogeny and ecology. The results of more than two decades of odonatological research on the island are briefly presented. In a monograph Dragonfly Fauna of Sri Lanka: distribution and biology, with threat status of its endemics, published in 2014, the odonate fauna of the island was comprehensively presented and analysed. Since then, 10 new species have been described. In recent years, Sri Lankan colleagues have contributed important new insights into the taxonomy, distribution and biology of some new, rare, and critically endangered species. A global assessment of the threat status of 66 endemic dragonfly species and subspecies from Sri Lanka, described until 2020, was conducted by the authors in 2021, using IUCN Red List criteria. Compared to 2014, the number of new faunistic data available for the assessments, mainly contributed by the second author, has almost doubled. However, despite new data and knowledge, the results remain very concerning-52 endemics or 78.8% of the Sri Lanka's endemic odonate fauna were classified as globally threatened, among them 12 spp. as critically endangered (IUCN: CR), 23 spp. as endangered (IUCN: EN) and 17 spp. as vulnerable (IUCN: VU). The ranges of many endemics are very limited and for endangered species, the Extent of Occurrence (EOO) calculation averages only about 5,560 km2. Two enigmatic critically endangered endemics, viz. Anisogomphus ceylonicus and Macromia flinti, for which there had been no observations for several decades, were surprisingly found by the second author and his colleagues, and new records, together with valuable new data on their natural history, were published only recently in 2022. Unfortunately, conservation concerns remain, as habitat destruction and fragmentation in densely populated southwestern and central Sri Lanka is an ongoing saga, coupled with worrisome impacts from economic crises and climate change. In conclusion, the need for further odonatological research in Sri Lanka is highlighted. Raising awareness and promoting interest in odonatology among wide community of researchers, conservationists, and students in Sri Lanka remains one of most important goals for the future.

Full text

27
6th European Congress on Odonatology, 27-30th June 2022, Kamnik, Slovenia, Book of Abstracts
According to published data, 131 dragony species from 12 families are currently known
from Sri Lanka. The proporon of endemics is 51.1%, with as many as 59 species and 8
subspecies endemic to the island. This extraordinary level of endemicity makes the
dragonies of Sri Lanka an exceponally interesng group for studies in biodiversity,
zoogeography, phylogeny and ecology.
The results of more than two decades of odonatological research on the island are briey
presented. In a monograph Dragony Fauna of Sri Lanka: distribuon and biology, with
threat status of its endemics, published in 2014, the odonate fauna of the island was
comprehensively presented and analysed. Since then, 10 new species have been described.
In recent years, Sri Lankan colleagues have contributed important new insights into the
taxonomy, distribuon and biology of some new, rare, and crically endangered species.
A global assessment of the threat status of 66 endemic dragony species and subspecies from
Sri Lanka, described unl 2020, was conducted by the authors in 2021, using IUCN Red List
criteria. Compared to 2014, the number of new faunisc data available for the assessments,
mainly contributed by the second author, has almost doubled. However, despite new data
and knowledge, the results remain very concerning – 52 endemics or 78.8% of the Sri Lanka’s
endemic odonate fauna were classied as globally threatened, among them 12 spp. as
crically endangered (IUCN: CR), 23 spp. as endangered (IUCN: EN) and 17 spp. as vulnerable
(IUCN: VU). The ranges of many endemics are very limited and for endangered species, the
Extent of Occurrence (EOO) calculaon averages only about 5,560 km2.
Two enigmac crically endangered endemics, viz. Anisogomphus ceylonicus and Macromia
in, for which there had been no observaons for several decades, were surprisingly
found by the second author and his colleagues, and new records, together with valuable
new data on their natural history, were published only recently in 2022. Unfortunately,
conservaon concerns remain, as habitat destrucon and fragmentaon in densely
populated southwestern and central Sri Lanka is an ongoing saga, coupled with worrisome
impacts from economic crises and climate change.
In conclusion, the need for further odonatological research in Sri Lanka is highlighted. Raising
awareness and promong interest in odonatology among wide community of researchers,
conservaonists, and students in Sri Lanka remains one of most important goals for the future.
New data and knowledge, but conservation concerns remain –
IUCN Red List assessment of Sri Lanka’s endemic Odonata
KEYWORDS: Sri Lanka, dragonies, damselies, endemicity, island biogeography, threat status
1 National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, SLOVENIA. Email: matjaz.bedjanic@nib.si; 2 Department of Zoology
& Environment Sciences, University of Colombo, SRI LANKA. Email: apsumanapala@gmail.com; 3 Naturalis Biodiversity Centre,
P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, THE NETHERLANDS. 4 Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, University
Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, MALAYSIA. Email: rory.dow230@yahoo.co.uk;
Matjaž BEDJANIČ1, Amila P. SUMANAPALA2 & Rory A. DOW3,4