Association of larval Odonata and hydrophytes in wetlands of West Bengal, India: implications for conservation and monitoring

Abstract

The abundance andrndistribution of the larval odonates (dragonfly and damselfly) depend on thernhydrophytes, which was tested in the present study. A total of 19 genera ofrnOdonata were observed in different relative abundance against the hydrophytes.rnAmong the damselflies and dragonflies genera, Ceriagrion and Pantala respectively,rnremained dominant over others with significant variations in relative abundancernin the samples. Hydrophytes like Wolffia and Marsilea were keyrnfactors in explaining the relative abundance of larval odonates as explainedrnthrough the canonical correspondence analysis. The species specific abundancernseemed highly dependent on the hydrophytes in the concerned water bodies. Inrnorder to enhance the sustenance of the Odonata in wetland habitats,rnavailability of different species of hydrophytes seems to be an essentialrncriterion. Considering the multifunctional role of the larval odonates in thernfreshwater aquatic communities, conservation effort should include thernsystematic inclusion of the preferred hydrophytes in the wetlands.