Diversity and community composition of Odonata in the Southern region of Cameroon

Abstract

With the ongoing worldwide destruction of freshwater habitats, data on biological indicators are necessary to assess their health status and develop appropriate management plans and preserve their biodiversity. Odonata are very effective in that regard. Dragonflies were surveyed during 14 months in five habitats in the South Region of Cameroon. A total of 3595 individuals representing 101 species were recorded. The most abundant species was Pseudagrion kibalense , representing 12 % of all the individuals. On average, the species richness, the Shannon’s index and the evenness varied significantly among the habitats. The highest species richness was found in the open stream (mean 24.07 ± standard deviation (S.D.) = 5.01) and the lowest in the forest swamp (11.21 ± S.D. 2.15). The highest Shannon index was reported in the open stream (2.75 ± S.D. 0.21) and the lowest in the forest stream (1.99 ± S.D. 0.44). The results of the indicator value (IndVal) identified 37 species as indicators of habitat types. The open stream had the highest number of indicator species, with 24 species, followed by the forest stream with seven, the forest swamp with five and the bamboo stream with one. No indicator species was found in the swampy canal. Chlorocypha cyanifrons , Copera rufipes and Agriocnemis forcipata were identified as the strongest ecological indicator species of the forest stream, the forest swamp and the open stream, respectively. The current data provides an insight into the ecology of odonates in tropical Africa and help to understand how the habitats can influence community composition.