Some notes on dragonflies in spring 1993 in Estonia

Götz Ellwanger

Introduction

Only few data on dragonflies in Estonia were published. Kauri (1949) gives a survey of the knowledge about the estonian dragonfly fauna till 1939 and describes 48 dragonfly species for Estonia. Another comprehensive overview of the dragonflies of Estonia was presented by Remm (1957). A few more recent discoveries were reported by Spuris (1968, 1996) and Huldén (1990). A recent species list is given by Ruusma (1994) listing 54 species of dragonflies for Estonia.

Sites

During an excursion of the University of Göttingen (Germany) from May 29th to June 4th 1993 twelve species of Odonata were recorded. The eight localities are listed below:

A. Botanical Garden / Tallinn (59°25' N/24°45' O)
Some ponds with flooding Potamogeton vegetation.

B. Coast of the Baltic Sea north of Harju Risti (59°17' N/24°01' O)
Tidal flat with Bolboschoenus maritimus-reeds.

C. Veskijärv (59°11' N/23°45' O)
Lake with flat, sandy shore. Narrow belt of Phragmites-reeds.

D. Island Osmussaar (59°18' N/23°22' O)
Limestone-island with small lakes and fens. Formerly military restricted area.

E. glade (58°35' N/23°35' O)
Glade between two lakes and Rame laht (inlet), east of Virtsu.

F. open fen between Vatla and Lope (58°35' N/23°49' O)
String moor with Carex species, Menyanthes trifoliata and Drosera anglica.

G. "Nigula Bog State Reserve" (58°00' N/24°41' O)
More than 2300 ha large, intact peat bog near the border to Latvia in southwest Estonia. With more than 370 small, up to 3 m deep pools (Ministry of forest management and nature conservation of the Estonian SSR, without year).

H. Peat bog south of Lake Veisjärv, 10 km west of Torva (58°03' N/25°44' O)
About 2500 ha large peat bog covered with open Pinus sylvestris-woods. With many small pools and some lakes.

Species List

abbreviations: ad: imagines, ecd: emerging dragonflies, E: exuviae, ops: egg laying females.

Ischnura elegans (Vander Linden)
A 29.5.1993 some ad. D 31.5.1993 some ad.
Kauri (1949) writes it is "strange to say that no records were made in north Estonia until now". But he supposed already that Ischnura elegans was probably only overlooked in north Estonia and that it is more abundant in the southern part of the country.

Enallagma cyathigerum (Charp.)
D 31.5.1993 some ecd. E 2.6.1993 some ad. G 3.6.1993 2 males.
Occurs in all parts of Estonia (Kauri 1949, Remm 1957).

Erythromma najas (Hansemann)
A 29.5.1993 some ad.
Common in the southeast part of Estonia, in the other parts only few records (Kauri 1949).

Anax imperator (Leach)
H 4.6.1993 some E.
This is the northernmost breeding record of this species in Europe. The development of Anax imperator in the uncommon bog habitat is discussed by Ellwanger & Zirpel (1995).

Aeshna juncea (L.)
G 3.6.1993 1 E.
Occurs all over Estonia in high abundances (Kauri 1949).

Aeshna subarctica elisabethae (Djak.)
G 3.6.1993 1 E.
Kauri (1949) lists only three records from Hiiumaa island and from eastern Estonia. Remm (1957) also thought that Aeshna subarctica is a "rare nothern species in Estonia". Because of the big number of bogs in Estonia Aeshna subarctica is probably a wide spread species.

Cordulia aenea (L.)
C 30.5.1993 some ad. G 3.6.1993 many E. H 4.6.1993 some E.
Very common in Estonia (Kauri 1949, Remm 1957).

Somatochlora flavomaculata (Van der Linden)
F 2.6.1993 1 E.
Not recorded in the district Läänemaa by Kauri (1949), but occurs all over Estonia according to Remm (1957).

Libellula quadrimaculata (L.)
C 30.5.1993 some ad. D 31.5.1993 very many ecd, some ad, E. G 3.6.1993 1 ops, some males. H 4.6.1993 2 E.
Very common species in Estonia (Kauri 1949).

Orthetrum cancellatum (L.)
B 30.5.1993 some ad. E 2.61993 few ad.
First of all at the coasts of the Baltic Sea and at the lakes (Kauri 1949).

Leucorrhinia albifrons (Burmeister)
G 3.6.1993 some E. H 4.6.1993 2 E.
Obviously Leucorrhinia albifrons occurs in all parts of Estonia, but it is possibly absent on the islands (Kauri 1949, Remm 1957).

Leucorrhinia dubia (Van der Linden)
G 3.6.1993 many E, 1 male. H 4.6.1993 some E.
The absence of Leucorrhinia rubicunda, which is more abundant than Leucorrhinia dubia in Estonia (Kauri 1949), in both peat bogs is amazing. Reasons could be that the emergence period of Leucorrhinia rubicunda was finished already, so no exuvies were to be found, and the strong wind on both observation days, so that only very few dragonflies flied at the pools.

References

Ellwanger, G. & Zirpel, S. (1995): Entwicklungsnachweis von Anax imperator Leach in einem Hochmoor in Estland (Anisoptera: Aeshnidae). Libellula 14(1/2): 41-48.
Huldén, L. (1990): Insect-mapping project started in Estonia. Notulae Entomologicae 69: 191-194.
Kauri, H. (1949): Die Odonaten-Fauna von Estland. Apophoreta Tartuensia: 408-420.
Ministry of forest management and nature conservation of the Estonian SSR (Ed.)(w. y.): Nigula Bog State Reserve. Leaflet.
Remm, H. (1957): Eesti NSV Killid. Loodussuurijate selts Eesti NSV teaduste akadeemia juuris, abiks loodusuurijate 31: 1-51.
Ruusmaa, J. (1994): Kiilide elupaigaeelistusest Eestis. In: Proceedings of the XVII Estonian naturalists´ congress. Estonian naturalists´ society (Editor): 80-81.
Spuris, Z. (1968): Notes on the distribution of the dragonflies in Estonia. Latvijas Entomologs 12: 72-76.
Spuris, Z. (1996): Some records of Odonata from the neighbourhood of Tallinn (Estonia). Acta hydroentomologica Latvica 3: 27-29.

finished 09.03.2001