Damselflies (Zygoptera: Odonata) of Pakistan: Part 1

The present study is an effort to document bio-geographical distribution for Zygoptera of Pakistan. Damselflies were collected throughout the country and territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir during 2004–2009. A total of 2692 specimens were collected yielding 9 families, 21 genera, and 48 species and subspecies. Three of these species, Libellago lineata lineata (Burmeister), Elattoneura atkinsoni (Selys), and Elattoneura souteri (Fraser), are recorded for the first time from Pakistan. Distribution, habitats, previous records, and Zoogeographic affiliation for all collected taxa are discussed. Help was also taken from published literature on Zygoptera of Pakistan, and specimens housed at National Insect Museum were also studied. In total, 53 species are accounted for providing an updated record for all modern taxa of damselfly fauna of Pakistan.


Introduction
Pakistan is situated between latitudes of 23°3 5 to 37°05 North and longitudes of 60° 50 to 77°50 East. It stretches over 1,600 km north to south and 885 km east to west, with a total area of 796,096 km 2 . The country has a sub-tropical and semi-arid climate with annual rainfall ranges from 125 mm in extreme southern plains to 500-900 mm in the submountainous and northern plains. About 70% of total rainfall occurs as heavy downpours in summer during July to September and 30% in winter. Summer except in mountains is very hot, with an average maximum temperature of 40° C while the minimum temperature in the winter is a few degrees above the freezing point (Atlas of Pakistan 1997).
Most scientists are aware of difficulties faced during faunistic studies in a country like Pakistan, where different corners of the country overlap with different regions of the world. On a biogeographical basis, a major part of Pakistan is Palearctic (Hindu Kush, Karakorum, western Himalayas, Sulaiman Range, North Pakistan sandy desert, and western Indus Valley), while the rest of the area is Oriental (Indus River Delta, Eastern Indus Valley Desert, Thar desert, Rann of Kutch in southern Punjab, and eastern Himalayas) with traces of Ethiopian or Afrotropical regions (southern Iran to extreme southwestern of Baluchistan). Hindu Kush, Karakorum, and the Himalayas are major biogeographic boundaries between subtropical and tropical flora and fauna of Indian subcontinent and temperate climate Palearctic ecozone (Rafi et al. 2010).
Pakistan has abundance of Oriental, Palearctic, and Ethiopian (Afrotropical) fauna. It is interesting to point out that insect fauna confirm the transitional position of Pakistan. Here the Oriental representation of species is continuous with those of Indian Punjab and Rajisthan, and Palearctic is continuous with those of Iranian Baluchistan, eastern Afghanistan, and Russia (separated by only a few miles) and northwestern and eastern China. Also, there is an Ethiopian influence which runs along the southern coastal areas of Sindh and eastern Mekran in Baluchistan (Qadri 1968).
Odonates have been a focus of extensive research in many countries. They are one of the few insect orders that have been intensively studied in the tropics (Woodward 2001). They have been reported from all continents except Antarctica, and are usually concentrated in warmer and tropical habitats (Boyd 2005). According to Trueman and Rowe (2001), approximately 6500 named species of Odonata have been described so far all over the world. In comparison, Pakistan stands far behind even from its ecologically similar nearby countries (India 500 species, Zoogeographic affiliation: A-Australian; O-Oriental; P-Palearctic; PO-Palaeo-Oriental, AF-Afrotropical; N-Nearctic Pakistan: 1-Baluchistan; 2-N.W.F.P ; 3-Punjab; 4-Sindh; 5-Azad Jammu and Kashmir; 6-Northern territories Srilanka 120 species, and Nepal with 180 species).
The distribution of damselflies is not well explored in Pakistan. Many scattered, but limited, studies have been carried out in the past (Appendix 1). Geopolitically, the country is in an important region of the world, with variable habitats and unlimited resources of water in the form of snow, streams, springs, and rivers. The objective of the present study is to explore Zygopterous fauna of Pakistan by doing extensive collection throughout the country.

Materials and Methods
Surveys were carried out during summer season of six consecutive years (2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009) to collect adult damselflies from 171 localities in different districts of Pakistan. Surveyed areas include all four provinces (Punjab, Sindh, North West Frontier Province (N.W.F.P.), Baluchistan), the Northern Areas (NA), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K). Details of collection sites are given in Table 1. Adult damselflies were caught with a light insect net during 1100 to 1900 on hot sunny days of spring and summer. The net had a 2ft long handle and a ring of about 25 cm in diameter with an open-mesh net. Damselflies were killed in glass jars containing potassium cyanide. After killing, specimens were placed in triangle envelopes with their wings folded over the body. Data regarding locality, date of collection, and collector's name were written on outside of envelope. Information about habitat was noted in a field book. In general, only one specimen was kept in each envelope so as to avoid damaging the specimens. Pairs caught during mating were placed in the same envelope. After being brought to the laboratory, specimens were placed in a humid chamber to soften them for spreading. As the specimens became soft they were shifted to moisture absorbent papers for a few minutes, pinned, and spread over wooden setting boards. After drying the specimens were labeled and moved to storage boxes. Naphthalene balls were mounted in storage boxes and anti-ant powder was sprinkled around the boxes within cabinets to prevent collection from attack of insects. Specimens were then identified up to species level by running them through keys following Fraser (1933Fraser ( -1934, Khaliq (1990), andSubramanian (2005). Voucher specimens were deposited in department of entomology PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi and their representatives were sent to National Insect Museum, NARC -Islamabad.

Results
A total of 2692 specimens were collected, yielding 9 families, 21 genera, and 48 species and subspecies. Among these, three species, Libellago lineata lineata (Burmeister), Elattoneura atkinsoni (Selys), and Elattoneura souteri (Fraser) are recorded for the first time from Pakistan. Details regarding valid names, distribution, habitat description, previous records from Pakistan, world distribution, zoogeographic affiliation, and number of individual males and females collected are provided for all the species. As a whole, 53 species are accounted. Details for these species are provided below.

Previous Records from
Notes: Specimens were collected while flying over fast running water streams, sitting on submerged grasses, swampy places along banks of rivers, and from rice fields.
Notes: Collection was made from poorly vegetated banks of slow running water streams and from small bushes near streams. Some specimens were caught while sitting over peaks of half submerged small rocks.
Notes: Specimens were collected while they were sitting over small submerged rocks and from rock stones around water streams. Mostly they were recorded from streams having no flora on their banks.

Previous Records from Pakistan:
Notes: Specimens were collected from running water spots and standing water pits with a lot of thin, grassy vegetation surrounding these spots.

World Distribution:
Burma, Srilanka (Ceylon), Malaysia, India, Pulo Besoar, and Malay states (Fraser 1933); India Notes: Collected from thick and dense vegetation grown along and a little away from water streams. Also collected from rice fields and marshy spots surrounded by heavy grassy vegetation.  (Wilson et al. 2008); Singapore (Rashid et al. 2008); Srilanka (Bedjanic and Conniff pers. comm.).
Previous Records from Pakistan: Khaliq (1990) reported this species from Baluchistan. Khaliq and Siddique (1995) and Zia et al. (2008) collected its specimens from Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Notes: Specimens were found flying along running water, marshy areas, and feeding on aphids in rice fields.

Previous Records from Pakistan:
This subspecies was earlier reported from the Punjab province by Khaliq (1990) and Mitra and Babu (2009).
Notes: Specimens were collected from vegetation grown along the stagnant water of a pond and a small dam.
Notes: Specimens were observed to be a submountanious species and they were found on dwarf vegetation grown near very slowmoving water channels as well as from tall vegetation present among and aside bogs and marshes.

Previous Records from Pakistan:
This species was reported for the first time by Fraser (1933) from N.W.F.P. and Baluchistan provinces. Kanth (1985) and Khaliq et al. (1990) reported the species from Azad Jamu and Kashmir. Khaliq (1990) documented its presence in the N.W.F.P. and Baluchistan provinces. Again Khaliq and Maula (1999)  Notes: Collections were made from thin and grassy vegetation, rice fields, and marshy places near river banks. Sometimes specimens were found between submerged vegetation grown at river banks.

Previous Records from Pakistan:
Notes: This species was collected from the margins of a water lake with not much vegetation around it, they were also recorded from the grassy margins of a running water stream.
Previous Records from Pakistan: Mitra and Babu (2009) reported this species from Sindh and Punjab provinces.

Previous Records from Pakistan:
Notes: This species was collected from different rice fields, slow-moving water bodies, and margins of a water lake and its out-flow.

Previous Records from Pakistan:
The species was earlier reported by Hussain (2006) and Zia et al. (2009) from northern Pakistan.
Notes: This species was collected from stagnant water spots with very little vegetation around them.

Previous Records from
Notes: A single specimen was collected from the bank of a big water reservoir.

Previous Records from Pakistan:
Notes: Specimens were recorded from rice fields and vegetation grown around water spots.

Previous Records from
Notes: Specimens were caught over wild weeds and grasses near stagnant water spots.

Previous Records from Pakistan:
Notes: Specimens were recorded from grasses and other dwarf vegetation near water streams in the Punjab and Baluchistan provinces. However, few females were collected from the spiny bushes in Umer Kot desert at Sindh during early hours of morning (06:00). It was noted that when the species was collected from the deserts of Mithi and Umer Kot, there was no water available for miles. However, when collected from other spots there was running as well as standing water spots in close proximity. Specimens were also recorded while feeding among grasses and other vegetation near some water streams.
Previous Records from Pakistan: Kanth (1985) reported this species from Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Khaliq (1990) reported it from the Punjab and N.W.F.P. provinces. Khan et al. (2008), Zia et al. (2008), and Rafi et al. (2009) collected this species from Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Recently Mitra and Babu (2009) again reported specimens from the Punjab province.
Notes: Specimens were caught from the margins of different stagnant water spots and running water streams.
Previous Records from Pakistan: Mitra and Babu (2009) reported this species from the Punjab province.

Previous Records from Pakistan:
Notes: Specimens were collected over a water lake, a bank of running water spot, and from a spring. All spots were surrounded by dense grasses and wild flora.
World Distribution: India (Fraser 1933;Subramanian 2009 Notes: Specimens were collected from outflow of surplus water from Simly Dam. One specimen was collected on a wing from vegetation surrounding flowing water; however, two specimens were collected by blind sweeping in a cave under a big rock Notes: Specimens were found sitting over tall, grassy vegetation beside water bodies as well as on nearby small mountains. Some specimens were collected from rice fields and swampy spots along the banks of fast running streams. At dusk, they were observed to hide under mountain cover. World Distribution: India, Nepal, northern Punjab in Pakistan (Fraser 1933); Bhutan (Mitra 2006); India (Subramanian 2009).

Discussion
The distribution of zygoptera during this study shows very interesting results and confirms zygopterous fauna in all three biogeographic regions, i.e. Palearctic, Oriental, and Afrotropical. Zoogeographic affiliation for each species is provided on the basis of major works on biogeographic regions of Pakistan, including Atlas of Pakistan (1997) and Rafi et al. (2010). Results indicate that the damselfly fauna of Pakistan includes 53 taxa within 21 genera ( Table 2).
The biogeographic distribution of N. chinensis of the family Calopterygidae shows its widespread status throughout northern hilly tracts. This species is also reported from India, which substantiates its oriental distribution; however, it is still not known from Iran and Afghanistan.
Family Chlorocyphidae represents seven taxa under two genra, i.e. Libellago and Rhinocypha. Genus Libellago is reported with two taxa, i.e. L. greeni and L. lineata lineata. Among these, L. greeni showed limited distribution, and is only recorded from northern areas whose extremes come under the Palearctic portion of the country with boundaries along China and Afghanistan. Its world distribution shows its occurrence in Sri Lanka, an Oriental country (Bedjanic and Conniff pers. comm.). It can therefore be considered as a Paleo-oriental species. Further work is suggested, however, for knowing its exact zoogeographic status. Another taxon of the genus is a subspecies, i.e. L. lineata lineate, which is a new record for Pakistan, and its area of collection is closely bordered with the Oriental areas of country. Its distribution, as reported by Silsby (2001) and Bedjanic and Conniff (Pers. comm), is from Sri Lanka, and Subramanian (2005)  The above results indicate that Zygoptera fauna of Pakistan are mostly Oriental with 37 taxa, however, 9 taxa have Paleo-oriental distribution while rest are affiliated with mixed contribution of Afrotropical, Australian, Palearctic, Nearctic, Oriental, and Neotropic biogeographies. Keeping in mind the topography of the country, known fauna seems to be incomplete. The number is much less than Srilanka where a total of 52 damselflies species have been recorded (Bedjanic and Coniff pers. comm.). From India, 375 zygopterous species are reported (Subramanian 2009). A small country like Nepal has an odonate fauna of 180 species (Singh 1995). This indicates the need of further surveys and taxonomic research to develop the unexplored zygopterous fauna of Pakistan.