Black Pennant
Selysiothemis nigra (Vander Linden, 1825)
Order Dragonflies (Odonata)
Family Skimmer dragonflies (Libellulidae)
Conservation status: in Bulgaria: Critically endangered CR [B1a+2a].
General distribution. Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan; in few localities it occurs also in Europe (Spain, Italy, Malta, Greece, Bulgaria) and India.
Distribution and abundance in Bulgaria. Known only from a water body near the Melnishka River at Novo Konomladi Village, Petrich District [1], where it was found in 1996, 1997, 2005 and 2006. It has not been observed permanently in this water basin.
Habitats. A stagnant artificial water body. The banks are overgrown with vegetation, mainly reed (Phragmites australis).
Biology. The information on the ecology and biology of Selysiothemis nigra in Bulgaria is scanty. There are no data about the preferences of the nymphs. Only adults have been found. In the vicinity of the basin, they perch on isolated dry stems of herbaceous vegetation. They show a strong attachment to the section selected, returning to it after flights for driving away an enemy or after a fright. Newly emerged specimens are observed at the beginning of June, and mature ones at the beginning of July. In other parts of the range, the species flies in a period of at least 3-4 months [2].
Similar species. None.
Negative factors. Drainage of the water body; domestic and industrial waste on its banks, destruction of the shore vegetation by domestic animals.
Conservation measures taken. None.
Conservation measures needed. Clarification of the origin of the water basin. Estimation of the risk of domestic animals pasture and restriction of the use in proved negative impact. Investigations on the ecology and biology of Selysiothemis nigra and especially of the phenology for determining the aspects critical for the species, e.g. the period of the emerging of the adult.
References. 1. Beschovski, Gashtarov, 1997; 2. Askew, 2004.
Author: Alexi Popov
