Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made the difference. (Robert Frost – The road not taken)
The study of dragonflies in Catalan and the Iberian Peninsula is still in its
infancy. However, in June 2003 the group OXYGASTRA was formed in Catalonia to
promote research and investigation into this group of insects. Aside from giving
talks in schools and to wildlife groups, one of our aims is to produce a
distribution atlas of all Catalan dragonfly species by 2010.
The catching of insects in protected areas is forbidden under Catalan law, but all members of OXYGASTRA have been granted permits by the Catalan government as part of their work on the AOC - L'Atles d'Odonats de Catalunya.
Our atlas will be based on records from 10 x 10 km squares, with all maps generated by a GIS (Geographical Information System) programme from records entered into our extensive database.
Reliable records from all visitors to Catalonia are welcome in the following format:
| UTM 10 X 10 | UTM 1 X 1 | X | Y | Altitude | Species | Date | Time | Observer | Place | Municipality | Comarca | Habitat | Behaviour |
We use hand-held GPS (Global Positioning System) devices to record the exact coordinates of observations and these are converted into the UTM 10 x10 and UTM 1 x1 km formats we will use in the atlas mapping.
However, if all you have is records of species and approximate locations, that's fine - all records are very welcome.
All records should be sent to mike@walkingcatalonia.net
If you go to the Oxygastra webpage you will find much more information about the project, as well as identification photographs, maps, and news of this and other OXYGASTRA projects.
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TOP LEFT: water meadows in La Cerdanya.
Habitat for Banded Sympetrum pedemontanum, Common S. striolatum,
Yellow-winged S. flaveolum, Red-veined S.
fonscolombi and Vagrant darters S. flaveolum.
TOP RIGHT: the upper course of the river Muga in L'Alta Empordà. Habitat for Crepuscular hawker Boyeria irene, Orthetrum brunneum, Scarlet darter Crocthemis erythraea and Emperor Anax imperator. |
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BOTTOM LEFT: Els Estanys de La Jonquera, L'Alt Empordà. Habitat for Lestes barbarus, Southern migrant hawker Aeshna affinis and Ischnura graellsi. |
| BOTTOM RIGHT: Les Basses d'en Jordà in La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Habitat for 36 species including Dainty damselfly Coenagrion scitulum, Lesser emperor Anax parthenope, Golden-spotted emerald Oxygastra curtisii and Gomphus pulchellus. |
