Population monitoring of the damselfly Mesamphiagrion gaudiimontanum (Odonata: Coenagrionidae): assessing the effects of ectoparasites, sex, age class, body size, and phenotype on survival and detectability
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/1807-0205/2026.66.038Keywords:
Acari infestation, Demography, Mark-Recapture, Páramos, Sexual DimorphismAbstract
Mesamphiagrion gaudiimontanum Bota-Sierra, 2013, is an endemic and threatened damselfly species that inhabits the high mountains of the Colombian Central Cordillera. The first demographic study for the species was conducted in 2022, allowing an estimation of demographic parameters and a first test of the effects of sex, age, mite infestation, and female morphotype on survival/detectability. However, no statistical support was found for this, leaving this issue open. In this study, we monitored one population over two climatic seasons, a fundamental aspect for understanding the future of the species. We increased the sampling effort compared to the previous study and, using the capture-mark-recapture method, estimated demographic parameters for both the rainy and dry seasons, respectively: population size (951 ± 118 individuals; 2,655 ± 197 individuals); survival probability (0.90, 0.95); and life span (11.2 days, 22.7 days). We found evidence of an effect of sex, age, and mite infestation on detectability but not on survival. Regarding the female morphotype, we found no support for differences in either parameter. These findings provide valuable information for the conservation of an endemic and threatened species of the high tropical mountains.
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Fondation Segré
Grant numbers 2023C-21
