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DRAGONFLIES (ODONATA) OF CYPRESS HILLS PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA AND THEIR BIOGEOGRAPHIC SIGNIFICANCE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Donald F.J. Hilton
Donald F.J. Hilton
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada JIM 127
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Abstract

The Cypress Hills consist of a hilly elongate plateau straddling the Alberta–Saskatchewan border. They are mostly covered in a foothills-type vegetation but are surrounded by short-grass prairie and lie about 250 km east of the Rocky Mountain foothills. The upper 95 m remained unglaciated as a nunatak during the Wisconsinan glaciation. Dragonflies were collected at various times during May–August in 1982–1984 at 24 localities in Cypress Hills Provincial Park, Alberta. Thirty-one species were obtained, 3 of which (Aeshna multicolor, Gomphus graslinellus, and Libellula pulchella) are new records for Alberta. The dragonfly fauna of the Cypress Hills consists of species with the following Canadian distributions: 22 transcontinental (13 boreal, 7 southern, and 2 widespread), 4 southwestern, 2 western boreal–northwestern, 2 cordilleran, and 1 primarily prairie. An analysis of this fauna indicates that, following northward retreat of the glaciers, 22% of the present species came from cordilleran regions and 42% were derived from the boreal fauna. This corroborates the boreo–montane forest connection that is considered to have extended along the retreating ice front before the climate became too warm and resulted in the forest being replaced by grassland.

Résumé

Les “Cypress Hills” constituent un plateau allongé enjambant la frontière entre l'Alberta et la Saskatchewan. Elles sont principalement couvertes d'une végétation de type “Foothills” mais sont entourées de prairie et sont situées à environ 250 km à l'est des “foothills” bordant les Montagnes Rocheuses. Les 95 m supérieurs sont demeurés sans glaciers formant un nunatak durant la glaciation Wisconsinienne. On a collectionné des libellules à différents moments entre mai-août de 1982 à 1984, à 24 localités dans la réserve provinciale de “Cyrpess Hills” en Alberta. On a relevé 31 espèces dont trois (Aeschna multicolor, Gomphus graslinellus et Libellula pulchella) constituent de nouvelles mentions pour l'Alberta. La faune libellulienne des “Cypress Hills” est constituée d'espèces ayant les répartitions canadiennes suivantes: 22 transcontinentale (13 boréale, 7 méridionale et 2 générale), 4 sud-occidentale, 2 occidentale boréale-nord-occidentale, 2 cordillèrienne, et 1 principalement limitée à la prairie. L'analyse de cette faune indique que suite à la retraite des glaciers vers le nord, 22% des espèces présentes sont venues de régions cordillèriennes et 42% sont dérivées de la faune boréale. Ceci appuie l'hypothèse d'une forêt de type boréo-alpine qui se serait allongée le long du glacier retraitant, avant le réchauffement du climat qui a amené la disparition de la forêt et son remplacement par la prairie.

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 117 , Issue 9 , September 1985 , pp. 1127 - 1136
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1985

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