Ohio History Connection Natural History Blog
Posted On : August 11, 2014
Article By Bob Glotzhober, Curator Emeritus, Natural History
How often does Ohio end up with a species of wild animal new to the state that is not an exotic invasive species? It is pretty rare, but it does happen. Recently Ohio added a dragonfly to its list of inhabitants which has never before been found in Ohio. The dragonfly new to Ohio is known as the Swift Setwing (Dythemis velox) and it is a member of the “Pond Skimmers” family, the Libellulidae. While not previously known from Ohio, it is native to North America and can be found as close as southern Illinois and southwestern Indiana. Retired entomologist (and avid volunteer at Cedar Bog Nature Preserve) Jim Lemon found it on private property near Urbana, Ohio in Champaign County. The property is in a rural location only a few miles from Cedar Bog Nature Preserve. The official count of species of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) in Ohio now rises from 163 to 164. (There is one additional, potential species of yet un-named River Cruiser, genus Macromia, which is not included in this count. For a complete listing and distribution maps of Ohio species, go to the Ohio Odonata Society website of Marietta College at: http://www.marietta.edu/~odonata/ )
Read More at:
http://apps.ohiohistory.org/naturalhistory/southern-dragonfly-expands-range-new-to-ohio/
Jim Lemon is an OCVN with the SW RiverLands Chapter and volunteers at Cedar Bog as a naturalist and tour guide.