Appendix 4. Systematic Review of the Dragonfly Fauna of Northern British Columbia

The 68 species known, or expected (*), to occur in Northern British Columbia are treated below. An outline of each family and genus is included but the genus description is omitted if there is only one species in the family. Families are listed in phylogenetic order, which reflects our understanding of the sequence of dragonfly evolution. The genera and species are in alphabetical order of their scientific names. A systematic checklist of the species, including their English names and faunal element (a designation of range type), is also given in Appendix 2. The faunal elements are defined in Appendix 2.

In each species account, the following information is presented:

Species status is given by the provincial conservation rank and colour list (BC Conservation Data Centre); definitions are listed in Appendix 3. The nine species at risk in northern BC, that is, those considered potentially endangered, threatened or of special concern, are given a more detailed treatment (including management issues) than the more common ones. The red and blue lists and the ranks are briefly defined in Appendix 3.

Descriptions are limited to information that helps separate species. A photograph of each species is included.

Global range and distribution in British Columbia are summarized. Maps 1-4 show BC distribution based on the collections of the Royal BC Museum and Spencer Entomological Museum, University of BC. Map 1 is the basic distribution map. Map 2 separates records made before 1996 and those made from 1996 to 2004. This highlights the effectiveness of intensive surveys in improving our understanding of dragonfly distribution in BC. Map 3 shows species distribution and the relative abundance of collection records in each 1/50,000 NTS map sheet in BC. Map 4 shows the same, except the number of localities in each map sheet, rather than total specimen records, is shown. Each map also presents a histogram of collection records of adult dragonflies graphed in 10-day periods throughout the year. These represent the known flight period of the species.

The Biology Section contains other relevant information about the species, such as its abundance, preferred habitat and behaviour. Preferred habitats are outlined generally and some examples of typical site associations are given (MacKenzie and Moran 2004); see Appendix 1 for details. The flight period is an estimate of the length of time adults can be seen throughout BC, and is often longer than the flight period in any one location. This estimate is based on museum specimen records, reliable sight records, records from nearby states and provinces, and extrapolations from these records and other biological clues. The graphs on the species distribution maps give the flight period based only on specimen records.

For the nine species of conservation concern, a brief outline of management and protection considerations is given.

Family Lestidae (Spreadwings)

Family Coenagrionidae (Pond Damsels)

Family Petaluridae (Petaltails)

Family Aeshnidae (Darners)

Family Gomphidae (Clubtails)

Family Cordulegastridae (Spiketails)

Family Corduliidae (Emeralds)

Family Libellulidae (Skimmers)