Portal de Cieza
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The monitoring carried out in the context of the LIFE + SEGURARIVERLINK project detects the presence of scarce dragonfly species, such as the parrot-clawed dragonfly (Onychogomphus costae), the Mediterranean tabby dragonfly (Gomphus simillimus), the western horned lizard (Calopteryx xanthostoma) Pale red dragonfly (Sympetrum sinaiticum).
This unexpected ecological value underscores the importance of the Segura River for the conservation of Iberian odonates.
The Segura River has accustomed us to news concerning the recovery of different species of fauna as a consequence of the improvement of the quality of the waters reached in recent years.
However, knowledge and news about invertebrate species is often left out of society, to the detriment of vertebrates, usually birds, mammals or even fish that are often the subject of increased attention.
However, invertebrates are key to the functioning of practically all ecosystems, being able to perform very diverse functions as parasites, decomposers, predators, pollinators, etc.
In the case of odonates (a term encompassing dragonflies and devil's horses) they are formidable predators both in their aquatic larval phase and in their adult terrestrial phase, being able to catch large prey, including small vertebrates such as small fish and larvae Amphibians during their underwater stage.
Thanks to the monitoring carried out by the Association of Southeast Naturalists (ANSE) in the context of LIFE + SEGURARIVERLINK (LIFE12 ENV / ES / 1140), a project financed by the EU LIFE program, data are being collected on the presence and abundance Of the odonates (dragonflies and devil's horses) in the river Segura, concretely in its section between Calasparra and Abarán.
The followings have detected the presence, in some cases and localities in high numbers, of different species of odonates considered threatened or rare for the rest of the Iberian territory.
Thus, the western white horse (Calopteryx xanthostoma) is a devilish blue horse that appears associated with zones with a certain quality of the waters and is considered as "Vulnerable" in the Andalusian Community, being considered scarce in the Valencian Community.
However, it is very frequent and abundant in the section of the river Segura object of the LIFE project.
For its part, the spectacular Mediterranean dragonfly (Gomphus simillimus) was considered, to date, a rare species in the Iberian context and relegated to a few localities Murcia in the high section of Segura.
Nevertheless, the followings have detected it until the proximities of Cieza (La Parra), being even abundant in Cañaverosa.
One of the most notable surprises has been the location of new localities with the presence of the dragonfly parda (Onychogomphus costae), a typically North African dragonfly typical of rivers of desert areas, very rare in the Iberian Peninsula, which was worth its cataloging As a species "Vulnerable" according to the red book of invertebrates of the Ministry.
In the context of the project, at least two nuclei have been detected: one in the vicinity of Cieza (La Parra) and two in the Almadenes Canyon (Calasparra).
Other species, such as the pale red dragonfly (Sympetrum sinaiticum), also characteristic of North Africa and found in apparent colonization of the Iberian Peninsula, have only been detected once in samples taken at Hoya García (Cieza).
In the opinion of the Association, these data once again highlight the importance of the Segura river in sustaining biodiversity and the need not only to avoid conditions on these systems, but also the importance of progress in its recovery.
Source: ANSE
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