A Preliminary survey of Dragonflies and Damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) in and around Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary Shopian, Kashmir

Riyaz, Muzafar; Sivasankaran, K

doi:10.21608/eajbsa.2021.157352

A Preliminary survey of Dragonflies and Damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) in and around Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary Shopian, Kashmir

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Muzafar Riyaz ¹
K Sivasankaran ²

¹ Division of Taxonomy & Biodiversity, Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

² Division of Taxonomy and Biodiversity, Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Chennai, India

10.21608/eajbsa.2021.157352

Abstract

Dragonflies and Damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary are presented. The Sanctuary is located in the District Shopian of Kashmir Valley (33°39'28.6"N 74°41'15.2"E). The area is rich in both floral and faunal diversity with most of the area covered with lush green forests. Around the sanctuary, Agro and Horticultural plantations such as Apple, Pear, Peach and vegetable crops abides most of the land cover in the area. The present study was carried out from June to October 2020. A total number of 10 species from six families were recorded in and around the area. The most abundant species recorded are from the family Libellulidae which are active mostly in the months from June to October. A number of freshwater bodies flow through the district and receives annual precipitation of around 1800mm, which makes the area more suitable for the Odonates diversity. Here we present the first preliminary report of order Odonata collected from the sanctuary and adjoining areas of Kashmir Valley.

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