Key to the larval stages of common Odonata of Hindu Kush Himalaya, with short notes on habitats and ecology

Abstract

The order Odonata is one of the most widely studied groups among insects from the oriental region. They colonize in both stagnant and running water bodies of wide water quality. Hitherto, the existing literature on the Odonata contained numerous publications with coloured figures of adults, helpful for identification. Identification key with figures on larval stages, using their coloration as distinguishing characters are largely missing. The current work attempts to provide an identification key to aquatic larvae of the most common families of Zygoptera, Anisoptera and Anisozygoptera with colour illustrations. The specimens were collected from Nepal and India (northern part). Each family is represented by several examples to demonstrate the range of morphological variability. This key helps determination of aquatic larvae Odonata up to family level without enormous efforts in field and laboratory.