Dragonflies and Damselflies in a region of the Triangulo Mineiro, Minas Gerais: checklist and taxonomic additions

Remaining freshwater systems are historically under threat mainly due to human activities such as agriculture and urbanization. The consequences of such activities are innumerous, and among them there is a decrease of suitable habitats for threatened fauna. In the Brazilian Cerrado, the odonatofauna of palm swamps and riparian forests are still poorly explored, a fact that difficult conservation efforts of the group. Thus, we performed an inventory in several urban and rural sites containing these phytophysiognomies in Uberlandia, Triangulo Mineiro region, western Minas Gerais state. In total, we found 101 Odonata species, seven families and 46 genera in the municipality, with 76 and 66 species, respectively, belonging to palm swamp and forest sites. From this diversity, eight species were first records in the state of Minas Gerais: Neuraeschna claviforcipata Martin, 1909, Phyllocycla cf. medusa Belle, 1988, Diastatops intensa Montgomery, 1940, Oligoclada pachystigma Karsch, 1890, O. xanthopleura Borror, 1931, Angelagrion nathaliae Lencioni, 2008, Telebasis sanguinalis Calvert, 1909 and Telebasis simulacrum (Calvert, 1909). We also sampled Erythrodiplax ana Guillermo-Ferreira & Vilela 2016, a species listed as endangered (EN) by the IUCN red list. Additionally, we include some taxonomic notes of Forcepsioneura machadorum females, a newly discovered species in the region. Our results contribute to the Odonata database in Brazil and highlights the importance inventories in poorly explored aquatic ecosystems.

Automated summary

Human activities pose threats to freshwater systems, resulting in habitat loss and impacting endangered species. A study conducted in the Brazilian Cerrado region found multiple new records of dragonfly species, contributing to the enhancement of the Odonata database in the area.