Dragonfly and Damselfly populations on Nantucket Island

Report and data submitted in fulfillment of a 2012 Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative grant. The first comprehensive survey of Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) on Nantucket Island occurred in 1917. Four species were added to this list by 1930. In 2012, we surveyed several ponds bi-weekly for adults and larval skins to update the species list and provide records of relative abundance. We found six species of dragonflies that have colonized the island since 1930 and added two species to the island list that are migratory or irruptive. The damselflies are more complicated because of difficult or questionable identification, but there are certainly five species new to the Nantucket list and two species that have likely been extirpated since 1930. Files: allSurveyData.csv - survey for adults Blyth-and-LoPresti-2013.pdf - the report itself comparativeSpeciesList.csv - comparing this study data to past studies dataDictionary.csv keyedExuviae.csv - exuviae collected at ponds