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Three Species of odonata Observed at TA-3 in September 2015

The spatial distribution of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) in northern New Mexico is only partly known. Information about the occurrence of species is currently being accumulated by professional and amateur biologists. Los Alamos National Laboratory has a considerable amount of suitable habitat for odonates. With effort, it is likely that many species will be discovered in Los Alamos County that have yet to be documented, which would aid in general knowledge about odonate distribution and habitat needs. We report the occurrence of three species of odonates at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the autumn season of 2015. Foy visited the location on 2 September 2015 and discovered two Black Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum danae). The authors returned on 10 September 2015 and photographed one individual. We also photographed a Striped Meadowhawk (Sympetrum pallipes) and a Black-fronted Forktail (Ischnura denticollis), the latter being a damselfly.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

A simple developmental model recapitulates complex insect wing venation patterns

Insect wings are typically supported by thickened struts called veins. These veins form diverse geometric patterns across insects. For many insect species, even the left and right wings from the same individual have veins with unique topological arrangements, and little is known about how these patterns form. We present a large-scale quantitative study of the fingerprint-like “secondary veins.” We compile a dataset of wings from 232 species and 17 families from the order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), a group with particularly elaborate vein patterns. We characterize the geometric arrangements of veins and develop a simple model of secondary vein patterning. We show that our model is capable of recapitulating the vein geometries of species from other, distantly related winged insect clades.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Photographic Documentation of Emerald Spreadwing at TA-3, LANL

Los Alamos National Laboratory has a considerable amount of suitable habitat for odonates, or dragonflies and damselflies. Few of these have been properly documented, however. With photographic documentation, the quality and size of odonate habitat on land owned by the Department of Energy will become more apparent to land managers.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗