Sympetrum sp., Varna, Bulgaria, July 1995. ©D.Staykov
The Bulgarian Dragonflies
Odonata is a relatively species-poor (comprising about 5000 species worldwide), very well defined insect group and also considered to be well studied across Europe. A thorough study on Bulgarian Odonata has been published by Venelin Beschovski in 1994 where a total number of 64 dragonfly species are listed (Beschovski,1994).
An interesting highlight in recent Odonata research in Bulgaria is the description of a dragonfly species new to science from the Eastern Rodopi Mountain, Somatochlora borisi, Marinov 2001 of the family Corduliidae, suborder Anisoptera.
The Bulagrian dragonfly species belong to 10 families and 29 genera. 5 families and 12 genera with 24 species belong to the suborder Zygoptera, respectively 5 families and 17 genera with 44 species to the suborder Anisoptera (Beschovski,1994, Beshovski & Gashtarov, 1997, Marinov, 2001, Marinov & Simov, 2004), this makes a total of 68 species.
The subspecies Somatochlora metallica meridionalis (according to Beshovski, 1994) is treated by Marinov, 2000 as a separate species Somatochlora meridionalis. Orthetrum anceps, listed by Beshovski, 1994 is excluded by Marinov, 2000. Mauersberger, 1994 suggests that O.anceps and O.coerulescens should be given only subspecific rang and united under the older species name O.coerulescens.
The following Odonata species occur in Bulgaria:
Zygoptera
Calopterygidae
Calopteryx virgo
Calopteryx virgo festiva
Calopteryx virgo meridionalis
Calopteryx splendens
Calopteryx splendens balcanica
Euphaeidae
Epallage fatime
Epallage fatime fatime
Lestidae
Chalcolestes viridis
Chalcolestes viridis viridis
Lestes barbarus
Lestes virens
Lestes virens virens
Lestes virens vestalis
Lestes macrostigma
Lestes sponsa
Lestes dryas
Sympecma fusca
Platycnemididae
Platycnemis pennipes
Platipennis pennipes pennipes
Coenagrionidae
Pyrrhosoma nymphula
Erythroma najas
Erythroma viridulum
Coenagrion mercuriale
Coenagrion scitulum
Coenagrion hastulatum
Coenagrion ornatum
Coenagrion puella
Coenagrion pulchellum
Cercion lindeni
Enallagma cyathigerum
Ischnura pumilio
Ischnura elegans
Ischnura elegans pontica
Anisoptera
Aeshnidae
Aeshna juncea
Aeshna subarctica
Aeshna mixta
Aeshna affinis
Aeshna cyanea
Aeshna isosceles
Anax imperator
Anax parthenope
Hemianax ephippiger
Brachytron pratense
Caliaeschna microstigma
Gomphidae
Gomphus flavipes
Gomphus vulgatissimus
Ophiogomphus cecilia
Onichogomphus forcipatus
Onichogomphus forcipatus forcipatus
Cordulegastridae
Cordulegaster picta
Cordulegaster heros
Cordulegaster insignis
Cordulegaster insignis charpentieri
Cordulegaster bidentatus
Corduliidae
Cordulia aenea
Somatochlora metallica
Somatochlora meridionalis
Somatochlora flavomaculata
Somatochlora borisi
Somatochlora arctica
Libellulidae
Libellula quadrimaculata
Libellula fulva
Libellula depressa
Orthetrum cancellatum
Orthetrum albistylum
Orthetrum brunneum
Orthetrum coerulescens
Crocothemis erythraea
Sympetrum striolatum
Sympetrum vulgatum
Sympetrum meridionale
Sympetrum fonscolombei
Sympetrum flaveolum
Sympetrum sanguineum
Sympetrum depressiusculum
Sympetrum pedemontanum
Leucorrhinia pectoralis
Leucorrhinia dubia
Selysiothemis nigra
