International Research Journal of Biological Sciences ____________________________________ ISSN 2278-3202Vol. 4(4), 69-76, April (2015) Int. Res. J. Biological Sci.  International Science Congress Association        
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Diversity, Distribution and Abundance of Damselfly (Zygoptera) of Kapla Beel, Wetland of Barpeta District; Assam, IndiaDas Bidyut Kumar1*, Sarma Uddipta and Chetia Phalgun3 1 ,2 P.G. Deptt. of Zoology, Bajali College , Pathsala, 781325, Assam, INDIADeptt. of  Zoology,C.N.B. College, Bokakhat,785612, Assam, INDIAAvailable online at: www.isca.in, www.isca.me Received 24th February 2015, revised 12th March 2015, accepted 8th April 2015Abstract  The order Odonata is one of the ancient groups of the class insecta, consists of dragonflies and damselflies. The adults of both the groups are terrestrial while the larvae are aquatic. The Species of both the groups are highly specific to particular aquatic habitat. This habitat specificity makes them an ideal candidate for monitoring health of freshwater ecosystems.The studies on the Odonata of India is well documented since the time of Linnaeus but a very little or fragmentary work was completed to have information of the diversity and aboundance of these species  from Northeast India. The present study was done with an objective to study the diversity and abundance of damselflies of the “KAPLA BEEL” near “Sarthebari” in the district of Barpeta, Assam. This study has been carried out for one year from June 2013 to May 2014.  In this study total 26 species of damselflies belonging to 3 families and 11 genera were identified and recorded. It is observed that out of the total 26 species, 88.46% are of family Coenogrionidae followed by Platycnemididae while Calopterygidae showed very less species diversity. This is the primary record of damselflies diversity from the Kapla Beel, Barpeta, Assam, (India). Datas recorded from different months of the study period were compared and Shannon H’, Shannon Hmax, Shannon J’, Simpsons Diversity (D), Simpsons Diversity (1/D), Richness were calculated by using Biodiversity pro software 2.0. It was observed that in September there was highest value of Shannon H’ which is 1.398 and the least is seen in the April which is 1.302. Keywords: Odonata, dragonfly, damselfly, kapla, barpeta, Assam.Introduction Damselflies belongs to a primitive and ancient insect order Odonata, with fossil records dating back to the Permian era of about 230 - 280 million years ago. This group represents the second largest aquatic insect order in the animal kingdom. Odonata are classified into three suborders, namely Anisoptera (8 living families), Zygoptera (17 living families) and Anisozygoptera. Damselflies are predaceous, hemimetabolous and amphibiotic insects presents of all kinds of freshwater bodies2,3. Damselflies have narrow rectangular heads with their eyes separated. The hind wings and forewings of damselfly similar in shape, size and venation. Wings narrow towards the base, forming a ‘stalk’ in some families. When alive, wings held together over the slender abdomen or only separated slightly. Damselflies are good indicators of environmental changes as they are sensitive to changes in the habitats, atmospheric temperature and weather conditions4,5. Identifying habitat types based on species abundance has potential applications both in terms of choosing and assessing the species as indicators.  Damselflies are important bio-control agents. Many species of odonates inhabiting in agro ecosystems plays a crucial role in controlling pest populations. There are about 6,000 species of Odonates where subspecies belonging to 630 genera in 28 families were documented worldwide. India accounts of 470 species under 139 genera and 19 familiesThe taxonomy of adults is well worked out and descriptions are available for almost all the reported species9-13. In 1758, Linnaeus described the first damselfly, Neurobasis chinensis from India. Laidlaw14described 20 species of dragonflies and damselflies from Assam and Burma. No regional specific study was carried out thereafter. Subramanian15 reported two damselfly species Ceriagrionolivaceum and Prodasineura verticalis) from Northeast India. Lahiri16 confirmed the species (Hydrobasileuscroceus) distribution in Assam and Meghalaya, which Fraser reported earlier that species found only Western and Southern India.  Material and MethodsStudy area: The “KAPLA BEEL” is situated near “Sarthebari” in the district of Barpeta, Assam. It is a beautiful perennial freshwater aquatic pool of Assam which harbours large groups of piscean and avian fauna. This beel is a capital source for the local fishermen to earn money for their daily life. The beel directly acts as the perspective spawning ground of the large growing river fishes particularly the Indian Major Carps (IMCs). Location: The Kapla Beel lies in between Doulasala and Sarthebari town, east from Barpeta district at a distance of 25 km from the northern bank of mighty river Brahmaputra. The average depth of the aquatic pool was 7-9 feet in 1995 but 
Research Journal of Biological Sciences ___________________________________________________________ ISSN 2278-3202  Vol. 4(4), 69-76, April (2015) Int. Res. J. Biological Sci. International Science Congress Association 
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presently in 2015 the average depth was 4.5- 6 feet. The total area of the “Kapla Beel” is about 91 hectares. It extends between latitude of 261812//to 2625//N and between longitude 910 0842 to 911450// E. It is almost 2 KM far in southern side from Sarthebari17. The Boundary of the Beel is as follows: East: Haldhibari and Kaldipathar. West: Barkapla Gaon. North: Kamarpara Gaon. South: Mara Sawal Khowa River and Salmara Gaon. 
Figure-1 Line  transects  along  the  Kapla Beel  
Figure-2 Photograph showing ecology of Kapla Beel Climate: Mesothermal and humid climatic conditions surrounds the study area around the Brahmaputra Valley. Winter is the coldest season (8°C-19°C) but heavy rainfall (�295.5 cm) and temperature rising (29.8°C -35.5°C) during Summer or Monsoon. The total climatic conditions of this area could be divided into four seasons viz. Pre-monsoon (March-May), Monsoon (June- Sept.), Repeating monsoon (October- November) and Winter (December-February).  Observatios: The present study was done for one year from June 2013 to May 2014. The survey period was designed in such a way that there was at least one visit in each line transect in a week for a period of one year from June 2013 to May 2014. Observations were made by walking through the transects (1 km to 1.5 km length with 2m to 5 m wide from the line). Results were recorded by visualizing the species throughout the transect and after that summarization of all transects were done. 
 
Damselflies were observed in field with careful observations and records on their habitats. For diversity and abundance, each species were counted by visual observations. The species were identified after Subramanian and Andrew18. Adult Odonates were collected and observed thrice in a year (monsoon, pre and post-monsoon) from the study areas. Collections and observations were made at sunny midday and specific routes were followed to observe the individuals and counted by putting a tally mark for the respective species of each location. Adults were collected by using sweep net of 30 cm diameter. Specimens were killed using CCl. The specimens were carefully preserved in small triangular paper envelopes and finally kept in plastic jars. Naphthalene and silica gel were kept into the jars with the tissues to protect the specimens from pests and mould. The unidentified specimens were analysed in the laboratory using Binocular microscope and by using literature after Fraser. Data analysis: Diversity indices like Shannon H’, Simpsons Diversity (D), Simpsons Diversity (1/D), Richness were calculated using Biodiversity Pro software version 2.0. Results and Discussion In the present investigation 929 individuals of 26 species of order Odonata belonging to 11 genera and three families were recorded. The families are Coenagrionidae, Platycnemididae and Calopterygidae. The most dominant family in present study is Coenagrionidae which comprises 9 genera (81.82% of total genera) and 23 species (88.46% of total species). The taxonomic composition and abundance of each species from different months in the study area during the study period was given in the table -1. We also calculated species richness, species di-versity which is also shown in table-3. 
Figure- 3 Percentile distribution According to the species  with Abundance of particular family of Damselflies from Kapla Beel wetland, Barpeta, Assam
Research Journal of Biological Sciences ___________________________________________________________ ISSN 2278-3202  Vol. 4(4), 69-76, April (2015) Int. Res. J. Biological Sci. International Science Congress Association 
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Table-1 Species list of damselflies found in Kapla Beel in Barpeta District, Assam with taxonomic composition and month wise abundance of each species. (June 2013 to May 2014; *Very Rare, ** Rare,*** Common ) 
Sr 
No
 
Name of Species 
Month
 
(June 2013 to May 2014)
 
No of 
Species
 
Status
 
  
J
 
U
 
N
 
J
 
U
 
L
 
A
 
U
 
G
 
S
 
E 
P
 
O
 
C
 
T
 
N
 
O
 
V
 
D
 
E 
C
 
J
 
A
 
N
 
F
 
E 
B
 
M
 
A
 
R
 
A
 
P
 
R
 
M
 
A
 
Y
 
  
 
Family : Coenagrionidae    
 
1
 
Agriocnemis lacteola 
(Selys,1877)
 
4
 
3
 
2
 
4
 
3
 
2
 
1
 
2
 
1
 
2
 
2
 
4
 
30
 
**
 
2
 
Agriocnemis femina 
(Brauer,1868)
 
2
 
1
 
1
 
2
 
1
 
1
 
1
 
-
 
1
 
-
 
-
 
2
 
12
 
*
 
3
 
Agriocnemis splendidissima 
(Laidlaw,1919)
 
3
 
2
 
2
 
4
 
2
 
1
 
2
 
2
 
1
 
2
 
2
 
4
 
27
 
**
 
4
 
Agriocnemis kalinga
            
 
1
 
2
 
2
 
4
 
3
 
2
 
1
 
-
 
2
 
2
 
1
 
2
 
22
 
**
 
5
 
Agriocnemis pygmaea (
Rambur,1842
)
 
2
 
2
 
2
 
4
 
5
 
6
 
6
 
4
 
2
 
1
 
2
 
2
 
38
 
***
 
6
 
Ceriagrion coromandelianum
 
(Fabricius,1798)
 
6
 
8
 
8
 
10
 
8
 
6
 
4
 
6
 
6
 
7
 
4
 
3
 
76
 
***
 
7
 
Ceriagrion calamineum
 
4
 
5
 
3
 
4
 
2
 
2
 
1
 
-
 
2
 
-
 
3
 
2
 
28
 
**
 
8
 
Ceriagrion rubiae 
(Laidlaw,1916)               
 
2
 
2
 
3
 
2
 
4
 
2
 
-
 
2
 
1
 
2
 
-
 
1
 
21
 
**
 
9
 
Ceriagrion fallax cerinomelas 
(Lieftinck1927)
 
2
 
4
 
2
 
2
 
6
 
4
 
3
 
2
 
1
 
2
 
2
 
4
 
34
 
**
 
10
 
Ceriagrion olivaceum 
(Laidlaw,1914)
 
2
 
2
 
3
 
5
 
6
 
4
 
6
 
2
 
2
 
-
 
2
 
1
 
35
 
**
 
11
 
Ceriagrion c
erinorubellum 
(Brauer,1865)
 
6
 
7
 
6
 
5
 
8
 
6
 
3
 
2
 
3
 
4
 
1
 
1
 
52
 
**
 
12
 
Ischnura aurora 
(Brauer,1865)
 
2
 
3
 
4
 
5
 
5
 
4
 
5
 
3
 
2
 
4
 
2
 
3
 
42
 
**
 
13
 
Ischnura rufastigma
(Selys,1876)
 
2
 
3
 
2
 
3
 
2
 
2
 
3
 
2
 
1
 
-
 
1
 
2
 
23
 
**
 
14
 
Ischnura selegalensis  
(Rambur, 1842)
 
2
 
4
 
4
 
6
 
4
 
5
 
3
 
2
 
4
 
2
 
1
 
2
 
39
 
***
 
15
 
Pseudagrion rubiceps 
(Selys,1876)
 
6
 
5
 
4
 
6
 
5
 
4
 
5
 
7
 
4
 
4
 
3
 
3
 
55
 
***
 
16
 
Pseudagrion decorum 
(Rambur,1842)
 
4
 
4
 
5
 
5
 
4
 
6
 
3
 
4
 
4
 
3
 
3
 
2
 
47
 
***
 
17
 
Pseudagrion microcephalum 
(Rambur,1842)
 
3
 
2
 
8
 
8
 
6
 
7
 
6
 
5
 
2
 
6
 
4
 
4
 
61
 
***
 
18
 
Paracercion malayanum 
(Selys,1876)
 
4
 
6
 
4
 
5
 
2
 
3
 
6
 
2
 
4
 
3
 
4
 
4
 
47
 
***
 
19
 
Paracercion calamorum 
(Ris,1916)
 
4
 
3
 
3
 
4
 
2
 
3
 
4
 
4
 
3
 
3
 
2
 
1
 
35
 
***
 
20
 
Onychargia atrocyana 
(Selys,1865)
 
6
 
8
 
4
 
5
 
4
 
2
 
4
 
3
 
3
 
4
 
3
 
3
 
49
 
***
 
21
 
Rhodischnura nursei 
(Morton,1907)
 
1
 
1
 
2
 
2
 
3
 
1
 
-
 
1
 
-
 
-
 
1
 
1
 
13
 
*
 
22
 
Enallagma parvum
(Selys,1876)
 
2
 
2
 
2
 
3
 
1
 
2
 
1
 
2
 
2
 
-
 
1
 
-
 
18
 
*
 
23
 
Aciagrion hisopa
(Selys,1876)
 
2
 
1
 
2
 
4
 
2
 
2
 
3
 
2
 
1
 
2
 
3
 
2
 
26
 
**
 
 
Family: Platycnemididae
 
24
 
Copera vittata
(Selys,1863)
 
2
 
4
 
6
 
5
 
4
 
4
 
5
 
3
 
2
 
4
 
3
 
2
 
44
 
***
 
25 
Copera marginipes
 
( Rambur,1842)
 
2 3 2 4 6 3 4 6 4 2 2 3 41 *** 
  
C. Family: Calopterygidae
 
26
 
Neurobasis chinensis
(Linnaeus,1758)
 
-
 
2
 
2
 
2
 
1
 
1
 
1
 
-
 
1
 
1
 
1
 
2
 
14
 
*
 
Table -2 Distribution of genera and species of different families of damselflies in Kapla beel, Barpeta (Assam)
Family
 
Genera
 
Species
 
Total Count
 
%of Sp
ecies
 
Coenagrionidae
 
9
 
23
 
830
 
88.46
 
Platycnemididae
 
1
 
2
 
85
 
7.69
 
Calopterygidae
 
1
 
1
 
14
 
3.84
 
Total
 
11
 
26
 
929
 
-
 
Table- 3 Diversity indices for different months of the study period in Kapla Beel wetland, Barpeta , Assam 
Index
 
JUN
 
JUL
 
AUG
 
SEP
 
OCT
 
NOV
 
DEC
 
JAN
 
FEB
 
MAR
 
APR
 
MAY
 
Shannon H
 
1.351
 
1.372
 
1.374
 
1.398
 
1.387
 
1.370
 
1.361
 
1.348
 
1.328
 
1.307
 
1.302
 
1.306
 
Shannon Hmax
 
1.415
 
1.415
 
1.415
 
1.415
 
1.415
 
1.415
 
1.415
 
1.398
 
1.415
 
1.395
 
1.394
 
1.395
 
Shannon J
 
0.955
 
0.969
 
0.971
 
0.988
 
0.980
 
0.968
 
0.961
 
0.964
 
0.938
 
0.
936
 
0.934
 
0.936
 
Simpsons 
Diversity(D)
 
0.036
 
0.041 0.038 0.035 0.039 0.037 0.042 0.037 0.036 0.047 0.049 0.045 
Simpsons 
Diversity
 
(1/D)
 
27.778
 
24.390 26.315
 
28.571 25.641
 
27.027
 
23.809 27.027
 
27.778 21.276
 
20.250 22.258
 
Richness
 
25
 
26
 
26
 
26
 
26
 
26
 
24
 
22
 
2
5
 
20
 
24
 
25
 
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Figure-4 Agriocnemis splendidissima (Laidlaw,1919) 
Figure-5 Pseudagrion decorum (Rambur, 1842) 
Figure-6 Ischnura rufastigma(Selys,1876) 
Figure-7 Onychargia atrocyana(Selys,1865) 
Figure-8 Ceriagrion calamineum 
Figure-9 Ceriagrion coromandelianum (Fabricius,1798) 
Figure-10 Ceriagrion fallax cerinomelas(Lieftinck1927) 
Figure-11 Ceriagrion olivaceum(Laidlaw,1914) 
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Figure-12 Pseudagrion microcephalum(Rambur,1842) 
Figure-13 Rhodischnura nursei(Morton,1907) 
Figure-14 Neurobasis chinensis(Linnaeus,1758) 
Figure-15 Ischnura aurora(Brauer,1865) 
Figure-16 Ischnura selegalensis( Rambur,1842) 
Figure-17 Agriocnemis lacteola(Selys,1877) 
Figure-18 Ceriagrion cerinorubellum(Brauer,1865)
Figure-19 Agriocnemis pygmaea(Rambur,1842) 
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Figure-20 Aciagrion hisopa(Selys,1876) 
Figure-21 Ceriagrion rubiae ( Laidlaw, 1916) 
Figure-22 Paracercion malayanam(Selys,1876) 
Figure-23Pseudagrion rubiceps (Sely,1876) 
Figure-24 Agriocnemis  kalinga 
Figure-25 Copera marginipes( Rambur,1842) 
Figure-26 Copera vittata(Selys,1863) 
Figure-27 Agriocnemis femina(Brauer,1868) 
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Figure-28 Paracercion calamorum(Ris,1916) 
Figure-29 Enallagma parvum(Selys,1876) 
Abundance Plot
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
AbundanceRank
10
10100Figure-30 Species rank Aboundance plot for different months of the study period. 
Species DistributionVarianceMean
0.110
10Figure-31 Species Distribution plot for different months of the study period Discussion: In this study 26 species of damselflies belonging to three families and 11 genera were recorded. It is observed that out of total species recorded 88.46% are of family Coenogrionidae followed by Platycenemididae and Calopterygidae showed less species diversity with only one species (Neurobasis chinensis,Linnaeus,1758). The abundance of the family Coenagrionidae is an important biological aspect for certain environmental aspect like pollution free part of the wetland. In this study different microhabitat wise status of each species was investigated, in a few microhabitat have very much diverse, some species are found abundantly in one habitat,but few species are reported some restricted site only.Neurobasis chinensis, Cerigrion rubiae, Rhodischnura nursei, Ischnura senegalensis, Ischnura rufastigma, Agriocnemis femina are missing from the commercial zones of the study area. Species like Ceriagrion coromandelianum and Pseudagrion microcephalum are more dominating species recorded during the study. During the present investigation, Damselflies from different months of the study period were compared and Shannon H’ , Shannon Hmax, Shannon J’,Simpsons Diversity(D),Simpsons Diversity(1/D), Richness were calculated by using Biodiversity pro software 2.0. It was seen that in September there is highest value of Shannon H’ which is 1.398 and least is seen in the April which is 1.302. The value 
Research Journal of Biological Sciences ___________________________________________________________ ISSN 2278-3202  Vol. 4(4), 69-76, April (2015) Int. Res. J. Biological Sci. International Science Congress Association 
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Simpsons index(D), which is very small in all months of the study period indicate that the present study area contain high diversity, higher values of Simpsons Diversity index(1/D) and Shannon J’ also indicates the same overview. According to its abundance the different species were ranked and Species Distribution plot for different months of the study period was shown in the figure-30 and figure-31 respectively. The order Odonata is an ideal model taxon for the investigation due to the closed linked to certain specific aquatic habitats making them indicators of wetland health and scenario. The observations recorded in the present study would be valuable as fundamental information for assessing the ecological status of the wetland of Kapla aquatic pool. The present study also helps for the measure of the global warming and climate change due to its tropical evolutionary history and adaptations to temperate climates19,20  . From the above discussion it is inferred that the diversity and abundance near water bodies and its distribution represents a suitable ecosystem proportional to the status of the wetland. Conclusion  From the above investigation we conclude that the Kapla Beel of Barpeta District, Assam is very much rich with the diversity of Damselflies. This rich diversity of Kapla Beel due to less encroachment of human activities. But indeed some protection plans must be implemented to protect and build up the diversity of these valuable creatures. This study encourages the conservation of a wide range of indigenous damselfly species in the study area. AcknowledgementThe authors would like to acknowledge P.G. Depatment of Zoology, Bajali College, Pathsala for making all the laboratory facilities available to us to carry out this research works successfully. The authors also wish to thank to Dilip Das, fisher man for his guidance , cooperation and support in the collection of samples. References 1.Williams D.D. and Feltmate B., Aquatic insects, CAB International. Wallingford, UK,(1992)2.Silsby J., Dragonflies of the World, Natural History Museum in association with CSIRO Publishing, UK, (2001)3.Tiple A.D., A.M. Khurad and R.J. Andrew, Species Diversity of Odonata in and around Nagpur City, Central India. Fraseria (Proceeding of the 18th International Symposium of Odonatology, Nagpur), 7,  41–45, (2008) 4.
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Fraser FC, The Fauna of British India Including Ceylon and Burma, Odonata, III, London: Taylor and Francis,(1936), 461 (2009)
12.Davies D.A. L., The odonate fauna of New Caledonia, including the description of a new species and a new subspecies, Odonatologica, 31,229–251 (2002) 13.Prasad M and Varshney R.K.,A check list of the Odoanta of Indiaincluding data on larval studies, Oriental Insects, and references therein, 29, 385-428(1995)14.Laidlaw F.F., Zoological Results of the Abor Expedition, 1911-12, XXV, Odonata, Records Indian Museum, 8, 335-349(1914) incl. pl. 16 15.Subramanian KA. (2005). Dragonflies and damselflies of Penisular India - A field guide. Project Lifescape. Indian Academy of Sciences, Banglore, India 16.Lahiri A.R., Studies on the Odonate fauna of Meghalaya, Records of Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper no., 99, 1-402 (1987), figs. 1-539 17.Anon, Wetlands of Assam. Assam Remote Sensing Application Centre, Guwahati, In G.R. Margarate, M. Obbert, Jr. and C.L. Wolf, Glossary of geology, American Geological Institute, Washington, DC, (1997)18.Andrew R.J., Subramaniam K.A. and Tiple A.D., A Handbook on Common Odonates of Central India, South Asian Council of Odonatology,65, (2009) 19.Hassall C., Thompson D.J. and Harvey I.F., Latitudinal variation in morphology in two sympatric damselfly species with contrasting range dynamics (Odonata: Coenagrionidae), European Journal of Entomology, 105, 939-944 (2008) 20.Nesemann H., Shah R.T. and Shah D.N., Key to the larval stages of common Odonata of Hindu Kush Himalaya, with short notes on habitats and ecology,Journal of threatened Taxa, 3(9)2045-2060 (2011) 
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