STUDYING DRAGONFLIES

Many of us notice the nymphal skins clinging to tree trunks when Cicadas emerge; those who haunt the shores of pond, lake and stream in spring and summer will similarly see the abandoned skins, or exuviae, of dragonflies. A good project would be to regularly collect all exuviae from a certain area. Keep records of how many are found and how far they are from the water. If you find dragonflies emerging, watch the process and time the events. After emergence, carefully place the exuviae and new adult into a brown paper bag so that the fragile teneral can sit quietly and harden its skin. You will then be able to associate the immature and adult forms. References 14 & 15 contain keys for dragonfly nymphs, and 20, 21, 24 & 26 contain keys for adults.

Dragonfly behavior is complex and interesting, but the life histories of most species are undocumented. You could make a real contribution to our understanding of them by careful observation and record-keeping. An excellent reference to dragonfly biology is P.L. Miller's "Dragonflies" (Ref. 19).

Sadly, dragonflies when preserved lose some of the delightful colors that make them so attractive; this is particularly true of the eyes. If you decide to collect them, note the colors and keep these notes with the specimens. For best color preservation, keep specimens alive until ready for processing. Soaking the specimens in acetone for 12-24 hours seems to produce the most consistent results. Dragonflies may be pinned, but tend to be fragile, so most collectors dry them with the wings folded together over the back and keep them in clear envelopes with a 3 x 5 card for reinforcement. The card is also a convenient place to write your data on color and on the date and place of collection. You could add to the knowledge of dragonfly distribution in Kansas by keeping a well-documented collection *. For more information on insect collecting see References 9 & 10. (Note that the Kansas "Species In Need of Conservation", T thoreyi and S. ozarkensis, cannot be collected in the state without a special permit (from the Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks.)

*[Much remains to be learned about the Kansas Odonata. Since the last published summary of Kansas fauna in 1983 (Ref. 12), 8 species have been added: No. 17 (Ref. 13) in 1985, No's. 1, 25, and 52 in 1988 (Ref. 17), and No. 43 this year (Ref. 4). In addition, voucher specimens received from Mr. Ragan Todd of Pittsburg, KS as this list was in preparation allowed us to document three more additions to the state list (No's. 47, 49 & 78), as well as to extend the range of No. 6 to include Crawford Co. Other species, including some that have been recorded for NE, OK, MO, and CO, may very well await collection by the thorough and persistent KS collector.]