Damselflies of Brazil 2 – A Book Review
by Ken Tennessen
This is the second volume of a two-part work by Frederico A. A. Lencioni on the Zygoptera (Odonata) of Brazil. Volume 1 was published in 2005 and covered 9 of the 10 families of Zygoptera known to occur in Brazil. That work has been heralded as one of the most important and useful recent contributions to the Odonata literature of the Neotropics (see review by SaintOurs & Santos, 2005). This second volume treats the last family, the Coenagrionidae, by far the largest group of damselflies in the New World in terms of number of species. This family is one of the most taxonomically difficult groups of Zygoptera. As promised by the author in the Preface of the first volume, this volume covers all known species in Brazil, presently 154 species. Both guides are more technical and are not intended as field guides.
Like Vol. 1, the book lays flat when opened, a welcome feature when keying specimens with a stereomicroscope. Also, the organization is similar to that of Vol. 1. The chapters on “How to Collect . . .” and “Damselfly Morphology” are repeats of the same chapters in Vol. 1, mainly so it can be used independently from Vol. 1. The key to the 23 Brazilian genera of Coenagrionidae begins on page 17. Each couplet is accompanied by illustrations showing discriminating characteristics. Although coenagrionid genera historically have been poorly defined (see Garrison 1986), this key works remarkably well for Brazil specimens and probably for some areas beyond the country’s borders, such as Paraguay, Uruguay, northern Argentina, eastern Bolivia, and for most of the fauna in the lowlands of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and southern Venezuela. As the author states, future systematic work likely will result in significant changes in generic classification.
The genera are then diagnosed in more detail, in alphabetical order, including additional illustrations. There are no species keys, descriptions or diagnoses. However, illustrations (from existing literature and original figures) are provided for each species along with the following: 1) reference to the original description, 2) whether male and female are described, 3) type locality and disposition of type specimens, 4) distribution in South America, 5) distribution in Brazil, 6) whether the larva has been described and the reference, and 7) if the species has been included in a revision. This treatment will definitely facilitate species identification of Brazilian specimens, making the tremendous amount of effort expended in pulling all this information together well worthwhile. Not enough information is available to provide meaningful distribution maps.
Following the species accounts are four appendices: 1) non-Coenagrionidae species described since the publication of the first volume; 2) information on the larvae of Brazilian Zygoptera that have been described to date (less than 15% described); 3) the author’s discovery of the larva of Mecistogaster asticta with description, distinction from other know Pseudostigmatids, and very detailed notes on its biology in bamboo, all based on new data collected by the author; 4) photographs and computer scans of representative Brazilian Zygoptera. There is an 11-page bibliography. The text is also translated into the Portuguese language, accompanied by the figures.
Lencioni’s two-volume set on the more than 300 species of Zygoptera known for Brazil provides a springboard for workers to pursue further research on these fascinating insects. In biology, identification is the key to learning. As the author indicates, there is much more alpha taxonomy of damselflies to be learned in this large, habitat-diverse country. Let us hope that future governmental regulations will provide opportunities for this to happen. In the meantime, the publication of Lencioni’s 2-volume set now makes it possible that research on the biology of the Zygoptera of Brazil will be accelerated.
Literature References:
Garrison, R. W. 1986. Diceratobasis melanogaster spec. nov., a new damselfly from the Dominican Republic (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae), with taxonomic and distributional notes on the Odonata of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. Odonatologica 15(1):61-76.
SaintOurs, F., and A. N. Santos. 2005. Book Review: Damselflies of Brazil: An illustrated identification guide. 1. ― The Non-Coenagrionidae families. Argia 17(3): 40-41.