Odonata species of special concern for Oklahoma, USA

2013·0.22 MB·

by  Michael A. Patten

InternationalJournalofOdonatology,2013
Vol.16,No.4,327–350,http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13887890.2013.868328
Odonata species of special concern for Oklahoma, USA
MichaelA.Patten∗andBrendaD.Smith-Patten
OklahomaBiologicalSurveyandDepartmentofBiology,UniversityofOklahoma,Norman,
Oklahoma73019,USA
(Received1July2013;finalversionreceived18November2013)
Assessmentofconservationstatusisanecessarystepbeforemanagementplanscanbeformulated.Histori-
callysuchassessmentshaveastrongbiastowardvertebrates,particularlyendothermicterrestrialvertebrates
(i.e.birdsandmammals).Invertebrates,bycontrast,tendtobeignored,andmanyinsectgroups,despite
beingspeciesrichandreasonablywellstudied,suchastheOdonata(damselfliesanddragonflies),havenot
beenassessedorhavebeenassessedonlyatabroadgeographiclevel(e.g.internationallyorcontinentally).
Assessmentatastatelevelrecognizesthatstatesoftenareatthefrontofregionalandlocalconservationand
managementplanningandimplementation.OnthebasisofourextensivesurveysacrosstheGreatPlains
stateofOklahomainthecentralUSA,aswellasourcompilationofthousandsofmuseumspecimensdating
backto1877,wewereabletodiscernthestatusanddistributionofeachofthe161speciesofodonates
recordedinthestate.Indoingsowewereabletoassessaconservationrank,usingNatureServecriteria,for
eachspecies.Weconcludethatninespeciesarecriticallyimperiled(S1)inthestate.Thesespeciesrequire
immediateconservationattention,initiallyatthelevelofintensivesurveystodelineatethefullextentofthe
geographicrangeinthestateandtodeterminethepopulationsizeandhabitatneeds.Wecategorizedanaddi-
tional13speciesasimperiled(S2)andplaced18speciesona“watchlist”(S3).Speciesonthesetwolists
willrequirefieldsurveysaswell,andregionsofhighoccurrenceoflistedspeciesoughttobetargetedfor
sucheffortsandconsideredasset-asidesforpreservationofkeymembersoftheodonatefaunainthestate.
Keywords: conservationrisk;damselflies;dragonflies;GreatPlains;Odonata;redlist
Introduction
Conservationplansforinsectsarerare,especiallyrelativetothosecreatedforvertebratesorplants.
Invertebrategroupsingeneralaretreatedasawhole,orifataxon-specifictreatmentisgivenit
isonlyforcertaingroups,suchasfreshwatermussels(Williams,Warren,Cummings,Harris,&
Neves,1993)orcrayfish(Tayloretal.,1996).Wheninsectsareconsideredittendstobesolely
thediurnalLepidoptera(e.g.Shuey,Calhoun,&Iftner,1987).Stateconservationplansexemplify
suchbias.Oklahoma,forexample,listed248speciesofspecialconcernonitsmanagementplan,
190 of which are vertebrates, separated by class, whereas only 58 are invertebrates (Oklahoma
DepartmentofWildlifeConservation,2005),treatedasasinglegroup.Oftheinvertebratesonthe
list,23arefreshwatermusselsand18arecrustaceans(primarilycrayfish).Insects,despitebeing
themostspecioseinvertebrateclass,accountforamere16listedspecies–nineinLepidoptera,
two in Coleoptera, two in Orthoptera, and three in Odonata. Such discrepancies appear to be
∗Correspondingauthor.Email:[email protected]
©2013TheAuthor(s).PublishedbyTaylor&Francis.
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havebeenasserted.
328 M.A.PattenandB.D.Smith-Patten
moreasaresultofdatadeficiencyratherthanalackofwillingnesstoincludeinsectsandother
invertebrates(Bried&Mazzacano,2010).
Eventhoughinsectordershavelanguishedbehindvertebratesandsomeinvertebrates,oneorder
that has begun to receive attention, even globally (e.g. Clausnitzer et al., 2009; Moore, 1997),
is the Odonata, the dragonflies and damselflies. Part of the appeal of tackling this group is its
tractablenumberofspecies,some5680worldwide(Kalkmanetal.,2008),farfewerthaninmany
otherinsectorders.Thisrelativelylowspeciesrichness,coupledwiththeconspicuoushabitsand
colorfulpatternsofmanyodonatespecies,hasfomentedanotheraspectoftheappeal:theirvery
nature lends itself to the creation of field guides (e.g. Dunkle, 2000; Paulson, 2009, 2011), the
existenceofwhichencouragesstudyofthegroup.IntheUSA,theproliferationofnationaland
regionalfieldguideshasledtoaproliferationofcitizenscienceonOdonata–primaryexamples
areOdonataCentral(Abbott,2010)andtheMigratoryDragonflyPartnership–theresultofwhich
hasbeenafarbetterunderstandingofthestatusanddistributionofmostspeciesinthecountry.
This spike in interest has been coupled with an increased recognition of the value of odonates
tomonitorenvironmentalintegrityandchange(e.g.Catlin,2005;Ott,2010;Silvaetal.,2010),
whichunderscorestheneedtoassesstheconservationstatusoftheorder.
Knowledgeofstatusanddistributionadecadeagoledtotwoeffortstocreatea“redlist”for
odonatespeciesinUSAandCanada(Bick,2003;Dunkle,2004),butourknowledgelevelnowis
evenmorerefinedandcomprehensive,enoughsothattheforgingofconservationplansand“red
lists”isanattainablegoalformanystates.YetfewerthanhalfofthestatesintheUSAhaveassessed
odonatetaxasufficientlytoconcludewhichspeciesareof“greatestconservationneed”(Bried&
Mazzacano,2010),andnoneofthesestatesareintheGreatPlains,thatvastareaofgrasslandthat
dominatesthecenteroftheNorthAmericancontinent.Instead,apartfromacursoryinclusionof
afewspeciesinTexasandinOklahoma,noneofthestatewildlifeconservationagenciesinthe
Plainsstateshasanyodonatespecieslistedasbeingofconservationconcern(Bried&Mazzacano,
2010).
Ourgoalistorectifythisomissionbyprovidingaconservationassessmentandaprovisional
list of species of special concern, ranked from first through third priority, for every species of
dragonflyanddamselflyknowntooccurinthePlainsstateofOklahoma.Althoughoureffortis
limited to a single state, it recognizes that a majority of conservation actions and management
plansareforgedatthestatelevelorlowerjurisdictionratherthanatthenationallevelorhigher.
Moreover,wehopeitspurssimilaractionsinneighboringstates,sothatafutureassessmentof
conservationplansacrossthecountry,akintoBriedandMazzacano’s(2010),willnothighlight
somanygaps.
Dataset
Webegansurveysinthestate,focusedprimarilyinthenortheasterncorner,in2003(Smith-Patten
etal.,2007).Weconductedintensivestatewidesurveys2–4daysperweekbetweenlateMarch
and mid-November annually from 2009–2013, an effort that included field work in 74 of the
state’s77counties,typicallywithrepeatedvisitstoeachcounty.Foreachsitesurveywerecorded
allspeciesencounteredaswellasestimatesofabundance;wecollectedvouchersformostnew
countyrecords(specimensarehousedintheSmith-Patten/Patten[SP]collectionattheOklahoma
Biological Survey).Across these surveys we encountered 132 species (∼93%, 127 of 137, of
putativenon-vagrantspecies)andrecorded>60,000individuals.
Inadditiontoourfieldsurveys,weamassedadatabaseofOklahomaOdonataspecimensfrom
24 collections, which began with the creation of a catalog for the Sam Noble Museum, Uni-
versity of Oklahoma (OMNH). We also inventoried Oklahoma specimens at the International
Odonata Research Institute (IORI), Gainesville, Florida; Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
OdonataspeciesofspecialconcernforOklahoma 329
(OSU); the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts;
andtheUniversityofMichigan,AnnArbour.WeexaminedmaterialfromtheGilletteMuseum,
ColoradoStateUniversity,Ft.Collins(CSU),andtheUniversityofCentralOklahoma,Edmond.
Wereceivedcatalogdatafrom:theEssigMuseum,UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley;theNational
MuseumofNaturalHistory,SmithsonianInstitution,Washington,DC;TexasA&MUniversity,
College Station; the Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California, Davis; the Uni-
versity of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln; Peabody Museum,Yale University, New Haven,
Connecticut;theCaliforniaAcademyofSciences,SanFrancisco;theAcademyofNaturalSci-
ences,Philadelphia;andtheIllinoisNaturalHistorySurvey,Champaign,aswellasthepersonal
collections of John C.Abbott (JCA), formerly associated with the University of Texas collec-
tion,(UTIC,Austin,Texas),ThomasW.Donnelly(Binghamton,NewYork),RosserW.Garrison
(Sacramento, California), Dennis R. Paulson (Seattle, Washington), and Kenneth J. Tennessen
(Wautoma,Wisconsin).Wecompiled>15,500specimenrecords,datingbackto1877.Lastly,
weincorporatedallvettedandconfirmedphotographicrecordsarchivedatOdonataCentral(OC;
http://www.odonatacentral.org/),theonlinedatabaseofNewWorldOdonatarecordsmaintained
bytheTexasAdvancedComputingCenter,UniversityofTexas,Austin.Throughoutweusethe
aboveacronyms,alongwithcatalogoraccessionnumbers,whenavailable.
Weusedourdatabaseof>28,000records,comprisedofdatafromspecimens,theliterature,
fieldnotes,andarchivedphotographsforroughly115,000individualodonates,aswellaspublished
informationonthestatusanddistributioninthestateandregion–notablyBird(1932),Bickand
Bick(1957),Bick(1991),Abbott(2005),AbbottandStewart(1998),Smith-Pattenetal.(2007),
and Paulson (2009) – to assess the conservation status of each of the 161 species of Odonata
documentedtooccurinOklahoma(Smith-Patten&Patten,2013a).Oursurveyeffortsandthose
ofothersbynomeanscovereverywetlandinthestate,butwehaveamassedsufficientinformation
toensurethatnospecies,withperhapsoneexception,is“datadeficient.”
Assessmentcriteria
WelargelyfollowedNatureServe’s(2012)codesandcriteriatorankconservationstatusforeach
speciesrecordedinthestate.Werecognizedfourkeyrankinglevels:
• S1 (critically imperiled), defined as a species at extreme risk of extirpation in the state as a
resultofitshighlyrestrictedgeographicrange,fewpopulationsoroccurrences(generally<6;
followingAbbott, 2011), steep population declines, extreme habitat specialization, or severe
threatstoremainingpopulationsandtheirhabitat.
• S2(imperiled),definedasaspeciesathighriskofextirpationinthestategivenitsrestricted
geographic range, small number of populations or occurrences (generally 6–10), population
declines,habitatspecialization,orthreatstoremainingpopulations.
• S3(vulnerable),definedasaspeciesatmoderateriskofextirpationinthestateasaresultofits
moderatelyrestrictedrange,modestnumberofpopulationsoroccurrences(generally11–25),
recentandwidespreaddeclines,threats,orotherfactors.WetreatedspeciesonS3asa“watch
list.”
• WecombinedranksofS4(apparentlysecure)andS5(secure),definedasaspeciesatlowto
no risk of extirpation in the state given its range or many populations or occurrences, even
if there may be some cause for local concern in light of apparent declines or threats. Our
combinedS4/S5categoryisequivalenttotheIUCN’s“leastconcern”category.UnlikeAbbott
(2011),whousedaseparatecategory(SA),weincludedvagrants,i.e.speciesthatdonothave
regularbreedingpopulationsinthestatebuthavebeenrecordedonoccasion,ontheS4/S5list
becausewereasonedthatsuchspeciesareof“leastconcern”inOklahomainthatconservation
330 M.A.PattenandB.D.Smith-Patten
or management plans in that state cannot affect the species’population (which by definition
occurselsewhere).
Ahighpercentage(∼74%)ofOklahomaodonates,aswithodonatesworldwide(Clausnitzer
etal.,2009),havenotbeenevaluated(orare“datadeficient”)accordingtotheIUCNRedList;as
suchtheyhavenotbeengivenglobalconservationrankings.Weneverthelessprovidedtheglobal
statusforeachoftheOklahomaspecieswerankedasS1,S2,orS3(Table1)topresenttheglobal
pictureofaspecies’statusanddistribution.Wecautionthatalowglobalrankingdoesnotalways
reflect local status – a species may be common or widespread globally but rare within a local
jurisdiction,andaspecies’globalstatusdoesnotmeanastatemayabdicateitsresponsibilityto
protectthebiodiversitywithinitsborders.Thisislikewisethecaseforarguingthatifaspeciesis
atthelimitofitsrangethenitisoflessconcern.Wearguethatabalancemustbestruckacross
global,national,andregionalorlocalassessmentsgiventhatriskacrossspatialscalesmaynot
jibe (Patten & Smith-Patten, 2011) and that conservation and environmental policy and action
tendstobe“bottomup,”beginningattheregionalorlocallevel(Selin&VanDeveer,2007).In
ourcase,theprevalenceof“NE”(notevaluated)IUCNstatusinTable1illustratestheneedfor
localconservationassessmentstoinformglobalassessments.
Results
S1–criticallyimperiled
Argialugens(Hagen,1861)–SootyDancer[Coenagrionidae].ThisloticspeciesandEnallagma
praevarum were known from multiple stream courses in the Black Mesa region of west-
ernCimarronCounty,thewesternmostcountyinOklahoma’spanhandle,throughtheearly
1980s.Repeatedsearchesinthe2010shaveyieldedonlyonerecordofA.lugens(1(cid:2),OC
410018; 2 others seen) but no E. praevarum. The recent record may be the result of an
impressive amount of rainfall this year in the western panhandle that caused streams and
riverstoflowforthefirsttimeinmanyyears.TheCimarronRiveratthewesterntipofthe
panhandle had a discharge of 158 m3/s inAugust 2013 (USGS data), a dramatic increase
fromthehighestrateof7m3/srecordedfor2012and2011and3m3/sfor2010.Thenearest
comparablelevelto2013wasbackin1978,at116m3/s.Itispossiblethatapopulationof
thisspecieswillre-establishitself,althoughsomestudiesforecastanincreasedprevalence
ofdroughtintheregion(Basaraetal.,2013).
Enallagmaantennatum(Say,1839)–RainbowBluet[Coenagrionidae].Untilwediscoveredsin-
glemalesalongNorthCarrizoCreek,CimarronCounty,andatSchultzWildlifeManagement
Area,Texas County, in May 2013, this colorful species had not been recorded in the state
since1973(IORI).Priortotheserecords,thespecieswasknownfromtwootherstreamsin
westernCimarronCountyandfromasinglesiteinAlfalfaCounty,inthenorthwesternpart
ofthestate.Itisaloticspecies,confinedtositeswithabundantoverhangingvegetationand
ratherslowcurrent.Suchhabitatsarerareinthepanhandleandadjacentpartsofnorthwestern
Oklahoma.Evenifitoccursatothersites,itmustbeatlowdensities.
Enallagmadaeckii(Calvert,1903)– Attenuated Bluet [Coenagrionidae]. This species and E.
dubiumwereeachcollectedattwolocalesinthesoutheasterncornerofthestatebetweenthe
early1930sandtheearly1990s.Bothspeciesoccurinshaded,backwaterareaswithheavy
vegetation,aratherspecializedhabitat.Despiterepeatedsurveyefforts,neitherspecieshas
beenlocatedatthetwooriginallocations.InJune2013wediscoveredafewatanewlocale
for the species in the Ouachita National Forest of southern Le Flore County (SP 669; OC
400667).Thissmallpopulationmaybetheonlyoneinthestate.
Table 1. CharacteristicsofspeciesofOdonatajudgedtobeofconservationconcerninOklahoma,USA.
NatureServe Sensitive
State global IUCN Low to
conservation conservation conservation Taxonomic Water Regional Population population Range Specialized <6extant 6–10 <5 land
status1 status2 status3 suborder4 type5 endemic decline density retraction habitat locales occurrences counties use
Argialugens S1 G5 LC Z LO x x x x x x
Enallagma S1 G5 NE Z LO x x x x x
antennatum
Enallagmadaeckii S1 G4 NE Z LE x ? x x x x
Enallagma S1 G5 LC Z LE ? x x x
dubium
Enallagma S1 G5 NE Z B x x x x x x
praevarum
Ischnurademorsa S1 G5 NE Z LO x x x x x x
Cordulegaster S1 G1G2 LC A LO x ? x x x
talaria
Somatochlora S1 G3 NT A LO x x x x
ozarkensis
Paltothemis S1 G5 NE A LO ? x x x
lineatipes
Hetaerinatitia S2 G5 NE Z LO x x ? x
Amphiagrion S2 G5 NE Z LO ? x x x x x O
abbreviatum do
Argiabipunctulata S2 G4 NE Z LE ? x ? x x na
Enallagma S2 G5 LC Z LE x x x x ta
s
doubledayi pe
Gomphus S2 G3G4 NE A LO x x x cie
apomyius so
Gomphushybridus S2 G4 NE A LO x x fs
p
Gomphuslividus S2 G5 NE A LO x x e
c
Cordulegaster S2 G5 NE A LO x x x ia
l
maculata co
Helocordulia S2 G4 NE A LO x x nc
e
selysii rn
Neurocordulia S2 G4 NE A LO x x x fo
r
molesta O
Brechmorhoga S2 G5 NE A LO x x x kla
mendax h
o
Celithemisverna S2 G5 NE A LE x x x m
a
3
(Continued) 3
1
3
3
Table 1. Continued 2
M
NatureServe Sensitive .
A
State global IUCN Low to .
P
conservation conservation conservation Taxonomic Water Regional Population population Range Specialized <6extant 6–10 <5 land a
status1 status2 status3 suborder4 type5 endemic decline density retraction habitat locales occurrences counties use tte
n
a
n
Libellula S2 G3G4 NE A LE x x x d
composita B.
D
Lestesalacer S3 G5 NE Z LE x ? ? ? .
Lestesinaequalis S3 G5 NE Z LE x x Sm
Argiaalberta S3 G4 LC Z LO ? x x x ith
Enallagma S3 G5 LC Z LE x x -P
a
carunculatum tte
Ischnuradamula S3 G5 NE Z LE x x n
Ischnurakellicotti S3 G5 NE Z LE x x
Nehalennia S3 G5 NE Z LE x x x x
integricollis
Tachopteryx S3 G4 LC A LO x x
thoreyi
Aeshnaumbrosa S3 G5 LC A B x ?
Coryphaeschna S3 G5 LC A LE x
ingens
Aphylla S3 G5 LC A LE x
williamsoni
Gomphus S3 G4 LC A LO x
ozarkensis
Epitheca S3 G5 NE A LE x x
semiaquea
Somatochlora S3 G5 NE A LO x x
tenebrosa
Libellula S3 G5 NE A LE ? x x ?
auripennis
Libellulaflavida S3 G5 NE A LE x
Libellula S3 G5 NE A LE x x ? ?
semifasciata
Plathemis S3 G4 NE A LO x x x
subornata
1S1=criticallyimperiled,S2=imperiled,S3=vulnerable(oraspeciesonthe“watchlist”).2G1=criticallyimperiled,G2–imperiled,G3–vulnerable,G4–apparentlysecure,G5–secure;3NE=notevaluated,
NT=nearthreatened,LC=leastconcern.4Z=Zygoptera,A=Anisoptera.5LE=lentic,LO=lotic,B=both.
OdonataspeciesofspecialconcernforOklahoma 333
EnallagmadubiumRoot,1924–BurgundyBluet[Coenagrionidae].AswithE.daeckii,inJune
2013wediscoveredasmallpopulationatanewlocaleforthespecies,thisoneatBroken
Bow,McCurtainCounty(SP656;OC400474).Thepopulationisatthelakeinthecitypark,
whereremovalofwaterliliesorothermanagement(e.g.theapplicationofpesticidestodeter
mosquitoes)coulderadicateit.
Enallagmapraevarum(Hagen,1861)–ArroyoBluet[Coenagrionidae].LikeArgialugens,this
bluetwasconfinedtotheBlackMesaregionofthewesternmostpanhandle,butunlikethat
speciesithasnotbeenrecordedtheresincetheearly1970sdespitetherecentdrasticchange
in river flow (see A. lugens summary) and a series of intensive surveys for the species.A
singlemalein2003intheWichitaMts.,ComancheCounty,inthesouthwesterncornerofthe
state(Zuelligetal.,2006,CSU)wasfarfromthespecies’knownrangeandlikelyavagrant.
Ischnurademorsa(Hagen,1861)– Mexican Forktail [Coenagrionidae]. A lotic species found
onlyalongthewesternfringeofthestateandinthepanhandle.ItwasunrecordedinOklahoma
forsome35yearsuntilwecollecteda(cid:2)(SP361)andexaminedanimmatureandromorph
(cid:3)inhandatthebaseofthepanhandle,alongKiowaCreek,BeaverCounty,inJune2012.
The only other recent records are for the western tip of the panhandle, as claims from the
WichitaMts.intheearly2000s(Zuelligetal.,2006)actuallypertaintoI.hastata(three(cid:3)
CSUspecimensexaminedbyus).Inlightofthelossoflotichabitatinthecoreofthespecies’
rangeinthestate,coupledwithlowpopulationdensitiesandanapparentpopulationdecline
(e.g.51specimenscollected1956–1973versus10individualsrecordedsince),wefearthat
I.demorsamaysoondisappearfromOklahoma.
CordulegastertalariaTennessen, 2004 – Ouachita Spiketail [Cordulegastridae]. This recently
describedspecieshasbeenfoundinOklahomajustonce,inMcCurtainCounty(thesouth-
easternmostcountyinthestate),inApril2011(Heck,2012).Wepositthatthespeciesisa
sparse,earlyseason(mid-ApriltolateMay)denizenoftheOuachitaMts.ofMcCurtainand
LeFloreCounties.ItisotherwiseknownonlyfromadjacentpartsoftheOuachitaNational
ForestinMontgomeryCounty,Arkansas,thetypelocality(Tennessen,2004).
SomatochloraozarkensisBird,1933– Ozark Emerald [Corduliidae]. Bick (2003) included S.
ozarkensisamongagroupof27speciesinthecontiguousUSAthatwouldbeclassifiedas
“atrisk”byIUCNRedListstandards.ThecurrentIUCNRedListconsidersthespeciesto
be “near threatened” (IUCN, 2012). The species is endemic to a four-state region, where
it is rated as S1 in two (Arkansas and Kansas) and S2 in the other (Missouri). It has not
beenformallyevaluatedinOklahoma.ItsrangeinOklahomaisrestrictedtofourcounties,
whereitlikelyhasoneorperhapstwopopulationseach,intheOuachita–Ozarkregionalong
theeasternedgeofthestate,althoughasmallpopulationmayoccurintheWichitaMts.in
the southwestern part of the state (OC 313403, 328764;V.W. Fazio III, pers. comm.). Its
restricted range in the state, presumed small population, and the lack of knowledge of its
naturalhistory(Paulson,2009)warrantitsinclusionasanS1speciesinOklahoma.
PaltothemislineatipesKarsch,1890–RedRockSkimmer[Libellulidae].Thisspeciesistheonly
onerecordedinOklahomathatisperhaps“datadeficient.”Onthebasisofcorrespondence
(at UMMZ) between Ralph D. Bird and Leonora K. Gloyd, this species was collected in
Oklahoma sometime after Bird (1932) was published and before lateApril 1933, but the
specimenandassociateddetailsareotherwiseunknown.ItwascollectedtwiceintheArbuckle
Mountainsofsouth-centralOklahoma,in1968and1976,buttherearenorecordssinceof
thisspecialistofarid,rockystreamcourses.Ifanypopulationsremaininthestate,theymust
besmallandisolated.ThisspecieshasretracteditsrangeelsewhereintheUSA;forexample,
onthePacificCoastitrangednorthformerlyintosouthernOregonbutnolongeroccursthere
(Kerst&Gordon,2011).
334 M.A.PattenandB.D.Smith-Patten
S2–imperiled
Hetaerinatitia(Drury,1773)–SmokyRubyspot[Calopterygidae].Thisloticspeciesisfarless
common than its congener in the state (see H. americana, below, under S4), and it is
encountered only sparingly. Despite being recorded in many counties across the south-
ern half of the state, most (75%) of recent records are from just two locales, one in the
northeast (Mohawk Park in Tulsa, Tulsa County) and one in the southwest (the Wichita
Mts., Comanche County). Specimen records from the 1930s are numerous, but by the
1950s many fewer were collected, and in the past decade the sum of specimen and
photographic records is fewer than 10, suggesting to us a drastic decline in population
size.
Amphiagrionabbreviatum(Selys,1876)– Western Red Damsel [Coenagrionidae]. At their
extremes,A.abbreviatumandA.saucium(EasternRedDamsel)andcanbediagnosedreadily
(Paulson,2009,2011),butpopulationsintheGreatPlainsandaridSouthwestareinterme-
diate in color and proportions (Abbott, 2005). These intermediate populations may imply
thatnamedtaxaarepolesonacontinuumandthatthespeciesoughttobelumped(Paulson,
2009,p.132),althoughAbbott(2005,p.55–56)notedthatthelateLeonoraK.Gloydhad
plannedtonamethismid-Americanpopulationasadistinctspecies.IfGloyd’staxonomyis
foundtobevalid,thenthismid-AmericanAmphiagrionspecieswillhavearelativelysmall
geographicrangeandaspottydistributionwithinthatrange.Forthemoment,wefollowBick
&Bick(1957),Abbott(2005),andPaulson(2009)intreatingOklahomaindividualsasA.
abbreviatumuntilspecifictaxonomyisresolved.Onthebasisofspecimenscollectedprior
to1970,thegeographicrangeofthisinconspicuousdamselflyhasretractedwestwardand
northward:althoughcollectedincentral(ClevelandCounty)andsouthwestern(Comanche
County)Oklahoma,in1932,ithasnotbeenfoundsinceineitherregion.Indeed,thespecies
wasunknownfromthestateforover40yearsuntilJasonR.Heinendiscovereditin2012,at
DrummondFlatsWildlifeManagementArea,GarfieldCounty,innorth-centralOklahoma,
a new locale for the species.That same spring Heinen rediscovered the species inAlfalfa
CountyandweaddedrecordsforBeaver,Ellis,andHarperCounties.Weaddedthespecies
tosouthernTexasCounty,inthecentralpanhandle,inlateMay2013(SP593).Hence,the
species appears to be restricted to northwestern Oklahoma and the eastern panhandle. It
hasbeenfoundprimarilybetween10Apriland3June,withoneseasonallyoutlyingrecord
of 27August (SP 975), and only at springs or spring-like seeps with abundant Eleocharis
(spike-rush)andalwaysatlowdensities.Lossofspringsandsimilarhabitathasdoubtless
resulted in less habitat for the species and likely explains the range retraction. Continued
depletionofgroundwaterinitsrangewillimpactthisspeciesfurther,sothisspeciesshould
bemonitoredclosely,butgiventhepossibilitythatithasbeenoverlookedinsomeareas,we
chosetobeconservativeinitsranking,leavingopenthepossibilitythatanupgradingofits
statusmaybecomenecessary.
Argiabipunctulata(Hagen,1861)– Seepage Dancer [Coenagrionidae].This species has a wide
range in the eastern third of the state, but its occurrence in that range is spotty, chiefly
as a result of its specialized habitat of seeps, small springs, or shallow, narrow streams.
Desiccation of the region may reduce habitat availability, and there is a strong possibility
thatthepopulationhasshrunkgiventhelargenumberofhistoricalspecimensrelativetothe
paucityofrecentrecords.Wechosetoremainconservativeonitsranking,acknowledging
thepossibilitythatitmayneedtoberaisedtoS1status.
EnallagmadoubledayiSelys,1850–AtlanticBluet[Coenagrionidae].Wediscoveredthisspecies
inthestateinautumn2012,whenwefoundupto60individualsatMcGeeCreekWildlife
ManagementArea,AtokaCounty,inearlySeptember(PattenandSmith-Patten,2012).All
individuals were restricted to three small, clear-water pools embedded in a matrix of pine
OdonataspeciesofspecialconcernforOklahoma 335
forest.Soilsweresandyandthepoolsthemselveswerelikelyacidic.Thepossibilitythatthis
populationwastheonlyoneinthestatewasdispelledinspring2013,whenwediscovered
single males at ponds in pine forest of theAtoka Public HuntingArea,Atoka County (SP
544),12kmtothenorthofMcGeeCreek,andatPushmatahaWildlifeManagementArea,
Pushmataha County (SP 690), 50km to the northeast. We expect more populations to be
foundinthestate.Evenso,thespecies’habitatappearstobespecializedandrestricted.
GomphusapomyiusDonnelly,1966–BannerClubtail[Gomphidae].Therearebuttworecords,
bothrecent(2010and2011;OC318873,OC327591),ofthisdiminutiveclubtail,yetbothare
fromthesamelocationalongtheGloverRivernorthwestofBrokenBow,McCurtainCounty,
andateneralwasdocumentedthere,implyingthepresenceofabreedingpopulation.One
couldarguethatthisspeciesbetreatedasavagrant–occurrenceinOklahomaisextralimital
– but unlike other species with scant breeding records, this clubtail is likely to be under-
reported.Targetedsurveysforithavenotbeenconducted,unlikeforTelebasisbyersi,asone
example,andunlikeT.byersihabitatoftheG.apomyiushasnotbeenundulyaffectedbythe
prolongeddroughtintheregion.Theshortflightseason(March–April;Paulson,2009)may
hinder discovery of additional populations of this generally uncommon species of shaded
streams. Even so, we prefer to remain conservative in our assessment of the species’state
rankinguntilmoredatacanbeobtained.
GomphushybridusWilliamson,1902–CocoaClubtail[Gomphidae].Thisclubtailwasconfirmed
tooccurinOklahomaonlyrecently(2007;OC281873).IthasbeenrecordedonlyinMcCur-
tain County, the southeasternmost in the state, where, apart from a single record for Red
SloughWildlifeManagementArea,itisknownonlyfromtheLittleRiverNationalWildlife
Refuge.Yetthisspeciesprefersmuddywaterrivers,afairlycommonhabitatinsoutheastern
Oklahoma,soweexpectthatit,aswellasG.lividus,havebeenoverlookedandwillproveto
bemorecommonthandatacurrentlyshow,butlikelywillnotbesocommonastowarrant
downgrading.
GomphuslividusSelys,1854–AshyClubtail[Gomphidae].Thisclubtailwasconfirmedtooccur
inOklahomain2010,whenBerlinA.Heckphotographeda(cid:2)southeastofIdabel,McCurtain
County(OC318729).Thespeciesremainsknownonlyfromthissinglesite,wherethereis
aclearstreamonhard,sandysoil.Itoccursinearlyspring(mid-MarchtoearlyMay)and
occasionallyisfairlycommon(J.W.Arterburn,pers.comm.),butuntiladditionalsitesare
locatedinthestate,thespecies’occurrenceinOklahomaistenuousalthoughlikelydoesnot
warrantS1status.
CordulegastermaculataSelys,1854–Twin-spottedSpiketail[Cordulegastridae].Thisspiketail
is known from the same site in McCurtain County that has the only records of Gomphus
lividus.Tandempairshavebeenrecorded(OC327593)anddoubledigitcountshavebeen
obtained (OC 374178). The flight season is short (late March to late April), and like G.
lividus,recordsarefromaclearstreamonhard,sandysoilsurroundedbyhardwoodforest,
ararehabitatinOklahoma.Nonetheless,weexpectthisspeciestobeabitmorewidespread
thanwhatwecurrentlyknowofitsrange.
Helocorduliaselysii(Hagen,1878)–Selys’sSundragon[Corduliidae].Remarkably,thisspecies
hasbeenrecordedinOklahomasolelyfromthesamesitesoutheastofIdabelthatsupportsthe
onlyknownpopulationsofGomphuslividusandCordulegastermaculata.Theflightseason
isearlyandshort,lastingonlyfrommid-Marchtomid-April,butdoubledigitcountshave
beenachievedandtandempairsobserved(OC374215).Giventhelikelihoodofthisspecies
tobeconfusedwithsomespeciesofEpitheca,itsstatushasprobablybeenunderestimated,
althoughitspopulationinthestateispresumablylow.
Neurocorduliamolesta(Walsh,1863)– Smoky Shadowdragon [Corduliidae]. This crepuscular
speciespresentsaconundruminthatitstruestatusismaskedbyitsinconspicuoushabits.Yet
unlikeN.xanthosoma(seebelow,underS4),therearebutahandfulofrecordsofN.molesta,
336 M.A.PattenandB.D.Smith-Patten
althoughthishandfulincludesanymphandexuvia(i.e.breedinghasbeenconfirmed).Adults
have been collected only twice, once each in northeastern (Tulsa; OSU) and southeastern
(Choctaw;IORI)partsofthestate.Itmaybethatthisspeciesrangesacrosstheeasternhalf
ofthestatebutatscatteredsitesandinlowdensities.
Brechmorhogamendax(Hagen,1861)–Pale-facedClubskimmer[Libellulidae].Outsideofsin-
glerecordsforthewesternpanhandleandnorth-centralOklahoma,alloftherelativelyfew
recordsofthisspeciesarefromthesouth-centralpartofthestate,withthepreponderance
fromtheWichitaMts.(e.g.Zuelligetal.,2006)andArbuckleRanges,thelatterespecially
fromMarshallCountyalongtheRedRiver,whereGeorgeH.Bickusedtoworkregularly
(IORIspecimens).Thespecieswasrecordedmuchmoreregularlyfromthe1950sthrough
the 1970s than it has been in the past decade (recorded only six times, all in theWichita
Mts.), and there are fewer than 10 records statewide in the past 25 years.This strong flier
occursalongclearstreamswithmoderatetofastflowandsandyorpebblysubstrate,habitats
thatarescarceinsouth-centralOklahoma.
CelithemisvernaPritchard, 1935 – Double-ringed Pennant [Libellulidae]. This unobtrusive
speciesofwell-vegetatedpondsisknownonlyfromsixcountiesinsoutheasternOklahoma,
where the type specimen was collected (Pritchard, 1935). It may tend toward crepuscular
habits (Pritchard, 1935; Abbott, 2005), like Enallagma vesperum (see below, under S4),
whichiftruecouldmaskitsactualstatus.Regardless,itisrecordedinfrequently,withonly
sixoccurrences(fromAtoka,Haskell,McCurtain,andPushmatahaCounties)knowntous
overthepasttwodecades.
Libellulacomposita(Hagen,1873)–BleachedSkimmer[Libellulidae].Thisspecieswasadded
totheOklahomastatelistin2011,whenVictorW.FazioIIIphotographeda(cid:2)atOptimaDam,
TexasCounty,inthecentralpanhandle(OC331112).Wewouldhavetreatedthespeciesas
avagranthadwenotdiscoveredsmallpopulation(four(cid:2)anda(cid:3),thelatterpartofatandem
pair)alongaspring-fedcreeksoutheastofSweetwater,BeckhamCounty,inJune2012(SP
276,OC375611),atandempairtogetherwithalone(cid:2)insimilarhabitatsouthwestofArnett,
EllisCounty,inJuly2013(OC401522,401523),andaremarkable18(cid:2)thatsamemonth
at Optima Dam (SP 796). These discoveries suggest to us a small breeding population in
westernOklahoma,onefarremovedfromthenearestbreedingpopulations(incentralNew
Mexico and southwestern Texas). More surveys are needed to determine its actual status
anddistribution.Aswithotherspeciesintheshort-grassprairieecoregion,thereiscausefor
concernforlossofhabitatforthisspeciesasaresultofdesiccation.
S3–vulnerable(watchlist)
Lestesalacer Hagen,1861– Plateau Spreadwing [Lestidae]. This species appears to have
declinedmarkedlygiventhehighnumberofhistoricalspecimensrelativetothemanyfewer
recent records. Purely on this basis, it would appear that L. alacer has declined while L.
australis(seebelow,underS4)hasincreased.Reasonsforthischangeinrelativeabundance
are unclear, but it may reflect a subtle change in habitat suitability that favors L. australis
overL.alacer.
LestesinaequalisWalsh,1862–ElegantSpreadwing[Lestidae].Thislargespreadwingisfound
only in the southeastern corner of the state, where it has a fairly short flight sea-
son (mid-April through mid-July) and occurs only in heavily wooded and well-shaded
habitats.
ArgiaalbertaKennedy,1918–PaiuteDancer[Coenagrionidae].LikeAmphiagrionabbreviatum,
thisspeciesappearstobeconfinedtospringandspring-likehabitats(e.g.slowflowingstreams
withclearwater)inthenorthwesternportionofOklahoma,includingthepanhandle.Also