Corresponding author: Jens Kipping (
Academic editor: Pavel Stoev
Prior to 2012, only 158 species of
Até 2012, apenas eram conhecidas 158 espécies de
Kipping J, Clausnitzer V, Elizalde SRF, Dijkstra K-DB (2017) The dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) of Angola. African Invertebrates 58(1): 65–91.
Covering nearly 1,250,000 km², Angola is the largest African country not dominated by the Sahara after the Democratic Republic of Congo. It has an accordingly high diversity of habitats, ranging from Namib Desert in the southwest through grassland, woodlands and montane forest to Congolian lowland rainforest in the northeast. Moreover, a great highland of up to 2,620 m asl (above sea level) is contained completely within Angola’s borders, leading to substantial endemism. Therefore, the country is likely to be one of the richest in species in Africa. However, Angola’s biodiversity is very poorly known, with comparatively limited research before independence in 1975 halting altogether in the three decades of unrest that followed. Research coverage is also limited for
Records of
Research began in July 1928, when the Swiss zoologist Albert Monard embarked on the first of his two expeditions to Angola, which lasted until February 1929. Monard was a curator at the Natural Museum of La-Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland with a broad interest in nature who mainly collected vertebrates and plants.
With the death of Friedrich Ris, Monard submitted the
Elliot Pinhey was curator at the National Museum of Zimbabwe from 1955 until 1975 and while he collected intensively in adjacent countries, only visited Angola twice (
Pinhey further treated the material of three collectors, describing a species in honour of each of them. Edward S. Ross of the California Academy of Sciences collected between Cuchi and Dondo in 1957 and 1958 (
After Angola’s independence in 1975 there was a long break in field research, with only a few records by various collectors. In January 2009, an expedition led by Brian Huntley visited the Serra da Chela in south-western Angola and the Namib Desert to the south: Warwick Tarboton recorded 47 species of
Jens Kipping surveyed the upper catchment of the Okavango (Cubango) River on the
The authors also examined the Angolan collections and type material in the Natural History Museum in London, the National History Museum of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo (
Specimens are currently at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, The Netherlands, including type material of eight species described by
The All
The first
With the surveys in 2012 and 2013 and a careful review of the historic data, the known odonate fauna of Angola has increased from 158 species in the year 2011 to 234 species in 2013: an increase of about one-third with only 47 days in the field. Two species were added in 2016: Chris Hines photographed
The checklist of the
Checklist of
Species | English Name | V | RL |
---|---|---|---|
|
|||
Yellow-winged Spreadwing | 1 |
|
|
Cryptic Spreadwing | 1 |
|
|
Pallid Spreadwing | 1 |
|
|
Pinhey’s Spreadwing | 1 |
|
|
Highland Spreadwing | 1 |
|
|
Spotted Spreadwing | 1 |
|
|
Smoky Spreadwing | 3 |
|
|
|
|||
Emerald Demoiselle | 1! |
|
|
Glistening Demoiselle | 1 |
|
|
Mountain Bluewing | 1! |
|
|
Metallic Sparklewing | 1 |
|
|
Angola Sparklewing | 1** |
|
|
Bare-bellied Sparklewing | 1 |
|
|
Hairy-bellied Sparklewing | 1! |
|
|
|
|||
Exquisite Jewel | 1! |
|
|
Blue-tipped Jewel | 1! |
|
|
Blue-fronted Jewel | 1! |
|
|
Spotted Jewel | 1 |
|
|
Victoria’s Jewel | 1 |
|
|
Angola Dancing Jewel | 1** |
|
|
Highland Blue Jewel | 1** |
|
|
(near Highland Blue Jewel) | 1!** |
|
|
Common Dancing Jewel | 2 |
|
|
Angola Blue Jewel | 1** |
|
|
Red-bellied Blue Jewel | 2** |
|
|
Beautiful Jewel | 1 |
|
|
|
|||
Rainbow Yellowwing | 1 |
|
|
Orange-tipped Yellowwing | 1! |
|
|
Congo Featherleg | 1! |
|
|
Red Threadtail | 1! |
|
|
Zambezi Threadtail | 3 |
|
|
(near Common Threadtail) | 1 |
|
|
Eastern Stream Threadtail | 1! |
|
|
Stout Threadtail | 2** |
|
|
(near Common Riverjack) | 1! |
|
|
|
|||
Blue Slim | 1 |
|
|
Awl-tipped Slim | 3 |
|
|
Cryptic Slim | 1! |
|
|
Tiny Slim | 2 |
|
|
Swamp Slim | 3 |
|
|
Zambia Slim | 3 |
|
|
Southern Slender Bluet | 1 |
|
|
Swamp Bluet | 1 |
|
|
Forest Bluet | 1! |
|
|
Blue Wisp | 1* |
|
|
Bumhill Wisp | 1!* |
|
|
Bog Wisp | 1!** |
|
|
Little Wisp | 1 |
|
|
Greater Pincer-tailed Wisp | 1 |
|
|
(near Forest Wisp) | 1! |
|
|
Orange Wisp | 1! |
|
|
Bruno’s Wisp | 1!** |
|
|
Lesser Pincer-tailed Wisp | 1 |
|
|
Sailing Bluet | 1 |
|
|
Green-eyed Citril | 1! |
|
|
Blue-fronted Citril | 3 |
|
|
Green-fronted Citril | 1 |
|
|
Common Citril | 1 |
|
|
Spikerush Citril | 1! |
|
|
Variable Citril | 1 |
|
|
Cream-sided Citril | 1! |
|
|
Plain Citril | 1 |
|
|
Yellow-faced Citril | 1! |
|
|
Tropical Bluetail | 1 |
|
|
Pinhey’s Bluet | 1 |
|
|
Angola Sprite | 1** |
|
|
Pretty Sprite | 3 |
|
|
Estes’s Sprite | 1** |
|
|
Dark-tailed Sprite | 3 |
|
|
Clasper-tailed Sprite | 1 |
|
|
Little Sprite | 1 |
|
|
Powder-faced Sprite | 1 |
|
|
Forest Sprite | 1 |
|
|
Green-striped Sprite | 3 |
|
|
Farmbush Sprite | 1 |
|
|
Slate Sprite | 1 |
|
|
Sarep Sprite | 1!** |
|
|
Superb Sprite | 1! |
|
|
Wide-striped Sprite | 1! |
|
|
Acacia Sprite | 1 |
|
|
Catshead Sprite | 1 |
|
|
Dark Sprite | 1! |
|
|
Dundo Sprite | 2** |
|
|
Blue-green Sprite | 1 |
|
|
Swarthy Sprite | 1! |
|
|
Little Blue Sprite | 1! |
|
|
Large Blue Sprite | 1! |
|
|
Masai Sprite | 1 |
|
|
Ruby Sprite | 1 |
|
|
Variable Sprite | 1 |
|
|
Cherry-eye Sprite | 1 |
|
|
|
|||
Shadow Hawker | 1! |
|
|
Dark Emperor | 1! |
|
|
Vagrant Emperor | 1 |
|
|
Blue Emperor | 1 |
|
|
Eastern Orange Emperor | 1 |
|
|
Black Emperor | 1 |
|
|
Dark-rayed Duskhawker | 3 |
|
|
Lesser Girdled Duskhawker | 3 |
|
|
Little Duskhawker | 3 |
|
|
Black-banded Duskhawker | 1 |
|
|
Uganda Duskhawker | 3 |
|
|
Bullseye Hawker | 3 |
|
|
|
|||
(near Horned Talontail) | 1! |
|
|
Common Hoetail | 3 |
|
|
Painted Hoetail | 3 |
|
|
Southern Fingertail | 3 |
|
|
Swamp Tigertail | 1 |
|
|
Common Tigertail | 1 |
|
|
Congo Tigertail | 3 |
|
|
Spurred Fairytail | 1! |
|
|
Large Horntail | 1! |
|
|
Western Snorkeltail | 2 |
|
|
(near Eastern Scissortail) | 1! |
|
|
Large Siphontail | 1! |
|
|
Angola Longleg | 1!** |
|
|
Yellowjack Longleg | 2 |
|
|
(near Jungle Longleg) | 1! |
|
|
Angola Claspertail | 2** |
|
|
(near Northern Dark Claspertail) | 1! |
|
|
Humdrum Hooktail | 1! |
|
|
(near Darwall’s Hooktail) | 1! |
|
|
Common Hooktail | 1 |
|
|
Forest Hooktail | 2 |
|
|
(near Black-and-green Hooktail) | 1! |
|
|
Crested Leaftail | 1 |
|
|
Bold Leaftail | 3 |
|
|
|
|||
Golden-banded Cruiser | 1! |
|
|
Two-banded Cruiser | 1! |
|
|
River Cruiser | 1! |
|
|
Sombre Cruiser | 1 |
|
|
Clubbed Cruiser | 3 |
|
|
Greater Double-spined Cruiser | 3 |
|
|
Darting Cruiser | 3 |
|
|
Golden-eyed Cruiser | 3 |
|
|
|
|||
Stout Pintail | 1 |
|
|
Pied Pintail | 1 |
|
|
Skimmer-like Flasher | 1 |
|
|
Plump Flasher | 1! |
|
|
Orange Flasher | 2 |
|
|
Pearly Flasher | 1 |
|
|
Pygmy Basker | 1 |
|
|
Red Groundling | 1 |
|
|
Southern Banded Groundling | 1 |
|
|
Red Rockdweller | 2 |
|
|
Inspector | 1! |
|
|
Spotted Scarlet | 1! |
|
|
Rock Scarlet | 1 |
|
|
Broad Scarlet | 1 |
|
|
Little Scarlet | 1 |
|
|
Bluebolt | 1! |
|
|
Little Percher | 1 |
|
|
Black Percher | 1 |
|
|
Barbet Percher | 1 |
|
|
Dwarf Percher | 1! |
|
|
Sunrise Firebelly | 1!** |
|
|
Free Firebelly | 1! |
|
|
Saddled Jungleskimmer | 3 |
|
|
Robust Jungleskimmer | 1! |
|
|
Scarlet Jungleskimmer | 3 |
|
|
African Piedspot | 1 |
|
|
Ringed Leaftipper | 1! |
|
|
Stream Micmac | 1! |
|
|
Angola Micmac | 1** |
|
|
Seepage Junglewatcher | 1! |
|
|
Stream Junglewatcher | 1! |
|
|
(near Eastern Blacktail) | 1 |
|
|
Lesser Peppertail | 1! |
|
|
Western Forestwatcher | 1! |
|
|
Bottletail | 1 |
|
|
Little Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Giant Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Banded Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Two-striped Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Epaulet Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Guinea Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Dark-shouldered Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Spectacled Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Julia Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Highland Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Sharkfin Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Farmbush Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Woodland Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Robust Skimmer | 1! |
|
|
Mushroom Skimmer | 1! |
|
|
Bold Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Long Skimmer | 1 |
|
|
Pepperpants | 1! |
|
|
Pale-faced Widow | 1! |
|
|
Deceptive Widow | 3 |
|
|
Yellow-veined Widow | 1 |
|
|
Lucia Widow | 1 |
|
|
Portia Widow | 1 |
|
|
Wandering Glider | 1 |
|
|
Powdered Pricklyleg | 1 |
|
|
Highland Pricklyleg | 1 |
|
|
Skylight Flutterer | 1 |
|
|
Butterfly Flutterer | 2 |
|
|
Phantom Flutterer | 1! |
|
|
Nomad | 2 |
|
|
Forest Elf | 2 |
|
|
Treefall Elf | 1! |
|
|
Black-splashed Elf | 2 |
|
|
Dash-winged Piedface | 1! |
|
|
Twister | 1 |
|
|
Keyhole Glider | 1 |
|
|
Halfshade Dropwing | 1! |
|
|
Violet Dropwing | 1 |
|
|
Striped Dropwing | 1! |
|
|
Furtive Dropwing | 1! |
|
|
Red-veined Dropwing | 1 |
|
|
Jungle Dropwing | 1! |
|
|
Black Dropwing | 1 |
|
|
Highland Dropwing | 1 |
|
|
(near Sleek Dropwing) | 1! |
|
|
Navy Dropwing | 1 |
|
|
Northern Fluttering Dropwing | 1! |
|
|
Albertine Dropwing | 1! |
|
|
Orange-winged Dropwing | 1 |
|
|
Mealy Dropwing | 1! |
|
|
Southern Fluttering Dropwing | 1 |
|
|
Hairy-legged Dropwing | 1 |
|
|
Marsh Dropwing | 1! |
|
|
Russet Dropwing | 1 |
|
|
Cobalt Dropwing | 1! |
|
|
Jaunty Dropwing | 1 |
|
|
Elegant Dropwing | 3 |
|
|
Red Basker | 1 |
|
|
Blue Basker | 1 |
|
|
Southern Riverking | 3 |
|
|
Pale Cascader | 1! |
|
|
Imperial Cascader | 3 |
|
|
Ensign Cascader | 1 |
|
|
Blue Cascader | 1 |
|
|
Regal Cascader | 1 |
|
|
Ringed Cascader | 1 |
|
# – see Taxonomic comments in the discussion (
Species | English name | Reason for exclusion |
---|---|---|
|
||
Sooty Theadtail | See discussion. | |
Common Riverjack | See discussion. | |
|
||
Graceful Slim | Pinhey (1972) reidentified a series collected at Caianda ( |
|
Sahel Wisp | Sahelian species unlikely to occur in Angola; probably misidentification. | |
Orange-red Citril | Taxonomic confusion with |
|
Painted Sprite | All Angolan records might refer to |
|
Upland Sprite | Three records under the synonym |
|
- | Synonym of |
|
|
||
Clubbed Talontail | A female from Cubango ( |
|
Northern Fingertail | A female from Dundo ( |
|
- | Treated as a synonym to |
|
Rock Hooktail | See discussion. | |
- | Synonym of |
|
- | Synonym of |
|
- | Synonym of |
|
|
||
- | A small series from Dundo ( |
|
|
||
Grizzled Pintail | ||
Western Firebelly | Genus thought to be monotypic until new species were described by |
|
Denim Dropwing | The record of two females from Dundo ( |
|
Congo Riverking | Known from the Congo River basin. What |
|
Specious Cascader | A rainforest species known mainly from Cameroon and confused with |
for species marked with # see Taxonomic comments in discussion
Species | English name | Nearest occurrence |
---|---|---|
|
||
Common Riverjack | Cunene, Okavango and Kwando Rivers in northern Namibia. | |
|
||
Fragile Bluet | Okavango and Oshikango Rivers in northern Namibia. | |
Gracious Wisp | Okavango and Kwando Rivers in Namibian Caprivi Strip. | |
Upland Sprite | At Jimbe and other rivers in Ikelenge Pedicle of north-western Zambia. | |
Assegai Sprite | Kwando River in Namibian Caprivi Strip. | |
Blue-sided Sprite | Okavango and Kwando Rivers in Namibian Caprivi Strip. | |
|
||
Swamp Emperor | Common in the Okavango Delta ( |
|
|
||
Kavango Talontail | Okavango River in Namibia. | |
Common Fairytail | Cunene, Okavango and Kwando Rivers in northern Namibia. | |
Silke’s Fairytail | One locality on the southern bank of the Okavango River near Rundu, Namibia. | |
(near Southern Snokeltail) | Larvae found at two places on the Namibian bank of the Okavango ( |
|
Cataract Hooktail | Waterfalls and rapids of the Cunene and Okavango Rivers in northern Namibia. | |
Kokytos Siphontail | Okavango River in northern Namibia. | |
Corkscrew Hooktail | Cunene, Okavango and Kwando Rivers in northern Namibia and the Ikelenge Pedicle of Zambia. | |
Flapper Hooktail | Okavango and Kwando Rivers in northern Namibia. | |
|
||
Banded Duskdarter | Okavango and Kwando Rivers in northern Namibia. | |
Swamp Dropwing | Okavango and Kwando Rivers in the Namibian Caprivi. | |
Denim Dropwing | Okavango and Cunene Rivers in northern Namibia. | |
Silhouette Dropwing | Common along the Cunene, Okavango and Kwando Rivers in northern Namibia. | |
Rapids Dropwing | Okavango and Kwando Rivers in the Namibian Caprivi (see note on |
|
Fiery Darter | Cunene, Okavango and Kwando Rivers in northern Namibia. |
Angola’s rich dragonfly fauna expresses its geographic position, size and diversity (Fig.
Almost 30% are confined to forest habitats in the north, mostly below 1,000 m asl, e.g.
Nearly 20% favour the swamps, grasslands, miombo woodlands and gallery forests that stretch eastwards, mostly above 1,000 m asl. This fauna is concentrated in Katanga and northern Zambia, but has now been proven to extend across to the Angolan upland with species like
Distribution of
Sixteen species have so far only been found in Angola. With the exception of two known only from their type locality, all are limited to the central plateau (Figs
Only
The four endemic
Thus, like the majority of Angola’s
Records of 16 endemic
Distribution of the endemic
Photographs of some of Angola’s (near) endemic dragonflies and damselflies.
Photographs of Angola’s endemic
If we compare the tallies for the well-studied neighbours Zambia and Namibia, the total number of species in Angola should lie somewhat above 300, meaning that less than 80% of the fauna is currently known. Additions can be expected throughout the country, but especially on the eastern and particularly northern border. Appropriately, the province of Lunda Norte should be the richest area of discovery, around Dundo where exploration began in the 1950s. On the other hand, the central highlands could expect more suprises, like the discovery of additional endemic species, with three areas being especially notable.
Firstly, despite having most records, the north-south directed range that lies entirely above 1,600 m asl and includes the Serra do Chilengue, Serra da Chela and Angola’s highest peak at Mt Moco (2,620 m asl) is poorly sampled as the large gaps in Fig.
New species are most likely to be found among genera prone to narrow (highland) ranges, i.e. with known Angolan endemics like
Three typical African highland genera are notably absent from Angola.
If these genera do occur in Angola, they might only occur above 1,400 m asl and could constitute endemic species. More probable, however, is the discovery of endemics in genera that are well-represented across the country and continent, and that have highland endemics elsewhere but not in Angola, such as
Our findings show that Angola’s wealth of aquatic habitats harbours a rich freshwater fauna. Although large areas are relatively untouched, Angola’s rapid economic and population growth will have a tremendous impact on the environment and thus human well-being in the future. In the light of this, Angola’s development should consider (1) establishment of sewage works in cities and larger villages; (2) a stop on deforestation, especially along stream courses; (3) restoration of deforested water catchments; (4) village-level awareness campaigns for sustainable use of freshwater sources, e.g. no detergents and waste dumping in rivers; (5) biodiversity surveys and monitoring to feed into a national conservation plan.
Angola has agreed to the Aichi Targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity, including Target 12 that ensures that populations of threatened species do not decrease. Figure
Angola has an exceptional fauna of dragonflies and damselflies, as well as many valuable rivers and wetlands.
Jens Kipping is grateful to Dr. Paula Coelho (MINAMB) for making the survey in southern Angola possible, to Dr Chris Brooks of