Orthetrum ransonnetii

[Regional assessment]

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	ARTHROPODA	INSECTA	ODONATA	LIBELLULIDAE

Scientific Name:

Orthetrum ransonnetii

Species Authority:

(Brauer, 1865)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Desert Skimmer, Ransonnet's Skimmer

Synonym/s:

Libellula gracilis Albarda in Selys, 1887

Libellula ransonnetii Brauer, 1865

Taxonomic Notes:

This is a well defined species and easy to identify using regional Keys (Dumont 1991; Kalkman 2006; Schneider 1986). Libellula gracilis Albarda in Selys, 1887 is according to Ris (1910) a synonym of L. ransonnetii Brauer, 1865.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern (Regional assessment) ver 3.1
Year Published:	2010
Assessor/s:	Dijkstra, K.-D.B. & Schneider, W.
Reviewer/s:	Dijkstra, K.-D.B., Clausnitzer, V., Suhling, F., Samways, M., Samraoui, B., Boudot, J.P., Kipping, J. & Allen, D. (IUCN Freshwater Biodiversity Unit) (IUCN Pan Africa Freshwater Biodiversity Assessement workshop, Cairo, 2009).
Contributor/s:
Justification: This is a widespread species with no known major widespread threats that is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a threatened category. It is therefore assessed as Least Concern. In northern Africa, O. ransonnetii is an oasis species which is abundant where it occurs. It is not a particularly mobile and in northern Africa it is restricted to oases in higher areas of the Sahara. Nothing is known of population trends in northern Africa and it is currently Data Deficient in this region. In central Sahara, is relatively widespread. Distribution within northern Africa is not known, but a wider distribution is expected and there are no defined threats. The species is assessed as Least Concern In northteastern Africa, the species has only been recorded from the Red Sea Hills in Sudan (Dumont and Martens 1984), therefore listed Data Deficient for the region. In western Africa, less than 5% of the global distribution is found within the region, therefore the species is assessed as Not Applicable.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	The species is present in the inland desert habitats in the western Sahara, Niger, Chad, Algeria, and Sudan (Samraoui and Menai 1999, Samraoui and Corbet 2000, Dumont and Martens 1984). Orthetrum ransonnetii is a species with a wide but discontinuous distribution from Afghanistan (Schmidt 1961), Iran (e.g., Heidari and Dumont 2002), Arabia (Ris 1910, Waterston and Pittaway 1991, Schneider and Dumont 1997), Israel (Dumont 1991, Schneider 1986) and Jordan (Schneider 1986, Terzani 1995) to Africa. Probably present in Libya, where there has been little survey (Boudot pers. comm.). From central Algeria to Egypt and Sudan. Within the northern Africa region, it occurs in Egypt, where it reaches the Mediterranean via the Nile (Dumont 1980, Geene 1994, Ris 1910). The species just reaches into the north of the western Africa region - Algeria (Hoggar Mts.), Niger (Air Mts.) and Chad (Tibesti Mts.).
Countries:	Native: Algeria; Chad; Egypt (Egypt (African part), Sinai); Niger; Sudan; Western Sahara
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Little information is available for this species. Few observations indicate that the species is never abundant at a given locality (Schneider, unpublished data).
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Nothing is known on the ecology of Orthetrum ransonnetii. In northern Africa, Waterston and Pittaway (1991) report the species "occurring around deep rocky pools in boulder-strewn wadis", an observation that can be confirmed for Jordan (Schneider, unpublished data). In northeastern Africa, it is found in waters in desert mountain areas. In western Africa, it is present in the desert.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	No major threats known.

Major Threat(s):

No major threats known.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	More research is needed in the northern African region to determine the range and status of the species there. In general, research into population numbers and range, biology and ecology, habitat status, threats, conservation measures, and trends/monitoring of this species would also be valuable. Habitat and site-based actions are also required.

Conservation Actions:

More research is needed in the northern African region to determine the range and status of the species there. In general, research into population numbers and range, biology and ecology, habitat status, threats, conservation measures, and trends/monitoring of this species would also be valuable. Habitat and site-based actions are also required.

Citation:	Dijkstra, K.-D.B. & Schneider, W. 2010. Orthetrum ransonnetii. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 23 May 2013.
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