Odonata, dragonfly, interspecific mating, hybridization

The study of interspecific mating and potential hybridization is important for analyzing the evolution and behavior of species, and also for species conservation and nature protection. We focused on the genus Sympetrum, for which interspecific mating has been reported in the literature before. Field study was carried out during two late summer and early autumn seasons (2021, 2022) at the artificial wetland Mokřad u Rondelu, Moravian-Silesian region, Czech Republic, where at least five species of the genus Sympetrum occur together. The field survey was conducted during the main flight activity of the genus Sympetrum, when 518 pairs were captured and determined during 23 days of field work. Sympetrum striolatum (57,8 % of the total number of captured pairs) and Sympetrum sanguineum (23,9 % of the total number of captured pairs) were the dominant species. The recorded proportion of interspecific pairs was 7,5 %, suggesting that interspecific mating occurs quite commonly. The most common interspecific pairs were between a male Sympetrum sanguineum and a female Sympetrum striolatum and also between a male Sympetrum striolatum and a female Sympetrum vulgatum. When possible, the eggs from the interspecies pairs were taken and the larvae of potential hybrid individuals are currently being reared for genetic analysis which is being carried out. Based on recent studies, including this one, it appears that interspecific mating and hybridization is much more widespread in the suborder Anisoptera than previously expected, but it is still an insufficiently studied phenomenon.