Dragonfly fauna (Insecta: Odonata) of the Brijuni National Park, Croatia

The first systematic survey of the dragonfly fauna of the Brijuni National Park was carried out during the late spring and summer of 2016. A total of 13 species was recorded at two localities on the island of Veliki Brijun, 11 of them for the first time in the area. From the literature, one additional species was documented for the Park, amounting to a total of 14 Odonata species. The most common species was Sympetrum meridionale (Selys, 1841) while the rarest was Anax parthenope (Selys, 1839). Zoogeographical analysis showed the domination of the Holo-Mediterranean zoogeographical element. Four recorded species are listed in the Red book of Croatian Dragonflies, indicating the conservation value of the investigated habitats. Both of the wetland habitats surveyed, Brijuni Pond, and the saline lakes, proved to be very important habitats for the island’s Odonata. Therefore, it is essential to protect those habitats and their biota by planning and conducting restoration activities in the near future