Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Jean-Pierre Boudot Viola Clausnitzer Feike A Dijkstra Frank Suhling B. Samraoui Wolfgang Schneider
Facilitators: Khaldoun Alomari
Reviewers: Jens Kipping

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

Urothemis edwardsii is a widespread, stable species with no known major widespread threats. It is therefore assessed as Least Concern.

Distribution

Urothemis edwardsii is widespread in open landscapes throughout the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa, including Madagascar (Röder 2002). Two relict disjunct areas are still in existence in northeast Algeria (Samraoui et al. 1993) and the south of Oman (Waterston 1980, Waterston and Pittaway 1991, Schneider and Dumont 1997). Another disjunct subpopulation, now extinct due to the drainage of the former lake Hula, existed in Israel. A single record from Tunisia (Jödicke et al. 2000) has never been confirmed.

Population trend

Trend

Urothemis edwardsii is a widespread species with flourishing subpopulations in its Afrotropical range. It is, however, on the verge of extinction in Algeria due to strong degradation of wetlands, and no more than 40 individuals were counted in 1992 from the last known regional subpopulation at Lac Bleu (Samraoui et al. 1993, Samraoui amd Menai 1999, Samraoui and Corbet 2000). The Israeli subpopulation went extinct during the 1950s due to the drainage of Lake Hula. Conversely, this species was said to be common in its small Dhofar pocket in Arabia (Samraoui et al. 1993).

Threats

This species is widespread and not under threat at the global scale, although local declines are known due to eutrophication, destruction of riparian vegetation, aquaculture, water extraction, drainage and fire.

Uses and trade

This species is not utilised.

Conservation

Although this widespread species does not need any protective actions at the global scale, the surviving relict disjunct isolates in Algeria (Lac Bleu) and Oman need urgent and effective protection.

References 

[@electronic{63356,
 address = {www.iucnredlist.org},
 author = {IUCN},
 title = {The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2016-3},
 year = {2016}
}
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}
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}
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 title = {The Odonata of Tunisia},
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}
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 author = {Schneider, W.},
 title = {Systematik und Zoogeographie der Odonata der Levante unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Zygoptera},
 year = {1986}
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 volume = {19},
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}
,@inbook{59822,
 address = {Paris},
 author = {},
 booktitle = {Libellulines},
 editor = {Selys Lonchamps, E. de},
 pages = {110--140},
 title = {Exploration scientifique de l'Algérie. Zoologie},
 year = {1849}
}
,@article{59822,
 author = {Samraoui, B. and de Bélair, G.},
 journal = {Ecologie},
 pages = {233--250},
 title = {The Guerbes-Senhadja wetland. Part I: An overview},
 volume = {28},
 year = {1997}
}
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 address = {Gillingham, Dorset, UK},
 author = {Dijkstra, K.-D.},
 publisher = {British Wildlife Publishing},
 title = {Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe},
 year = {2006}
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 author = {Pinhey, E.},
 journal = {Publiçaciones culturais Companhia de Diamantes de Angola Lisboa},
 pages = {97--129},
 title = {Dragonflies (Odonata) of the Angola-Congo borders of Rhodesia},
 volume = {63},
 year = {1964}
}
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 author = {Schmidt, E.},
 journal = {Sitzungsberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften Wien, mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche. Klasse, Abteilung I},
 pages = {135--150},
 title = {Odonaten aus Syrien und Palästina},
 volume = {147},
 year = {1938}
}
,@book{59860,
 address = {Windhoek},
 author = {Suhling, F. and Martens, A.},
 publisher = {Gamsberg Macmillan Publishers},
 title = {Dragonflies and Damselflies of Namibia},
 year = {2007}
}
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 author = {Samraoui, B., Benyacoub, S., Mecibah, S. and Dumont, H.J.},
 journal = {Odonatologica},
 pages = {365--372},
 title = {Afrotropical libellulids in the lake district of El kala, NE Algeria, with a rediscovery of <i>Urothemis e. edwardsi</i> (Selys) and <i>Acisoma panorpoides ascalaphoides</i> (Rambur) (Anisoptera: Libellulidae)},
 volume = {22},
 year = {1993}
}
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 address = {Sofia-Moscou},
 author = {Samways, M.J.},
 publisher = {Pensoft},
 title = {Dragonflies and Damselflies of South Africa},
 year = {2008}
}
,@article{60073,
 author = {Samways, M.J.},
 journal = {Biodiversity and Conservation},
 pages = {1785--1792},
 title = {Threats to the tropical island dragonfly fauna (Odonata) of Mayotte, Comoro archipelago.},
 volume = {12},
 year = {2003}
}
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 author = {Dumont, H.J.},
 journal = {Odonatologica},
 pages = {1--9},
 title = {Endemic dragonflies of late pleistocene age of the Hula lake area (northern Israel), with notes on the Calopterygidae of the rivers Jordan (Israel, Jordan) and Litani (The Lebanon) and description of <i>Urothemis edwardsi hulae</i> subspec. nov. (Libellulidae)},
 volume = {4},
 year = {1975}
}
,@article{60073,
 author = {Samraoui, B. and Corbet, P.S.},
 journal = {International Journal of Odonatology},
 pages = {11--25},
 title = {The Odonata of Numidia, northeastern Algeria. Part I: status and distribution},
 volume = {3},
 year = {2000}
}
,@electronic{60073,
 address = {http://madagascar.observado.org/soort/photos/93059?from=2002-02-10&to=2002-02-10t AND http://www.africa-dragonfly.nett},
 author = {Röder, U.},
 title = {<i>Urothemis edwarsii</i>, single available record for Madagascar (Toamasina)},
 year = {2002}
}
,]
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