Procordulia smithii

rdf:langString Procordulia smithii

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rdf:langString Preserved specimen from the Auckland Museum

rdf:langString LC

rdf:langString IUCN3.1

rdf:langString Procordulia smithii

rdf:langString Procordulia smithii, commonly known as Smith's dragonfly or the ranger dragonfly, is a species of dragonfly that is endemic to New Zealand, as is its close relative . New Zealand dragonflies became of interest during Cook's voyages, but the first collection that contained dragonflies was not established until 1842. George Hudson made large contributions to dragonfly entomology in New Zealand, but he had difficulty differentiating between P. smithii and P. grayi due to similarities in appearance. The order Odonata has one of the stronger fossil records in comparison with other insects. Only a limited number of studies have been conducted on the effects of biogeographical taxa. Furthermore, they state that distribution patterns of taxa appear to correlate with climatological zones. A variety of niches have been found in tropical forests, as it has been established that tropical regions currently have the largest number of dragonfly species which could indicate distribution patterns. This is also interesting because P. smithii are abundant in the South Island and the lower North Island, suggesting the species thrives in cooler environments. Rowe (1987) supports this theory as is stated that due P. smithii eggs being subject to freezing temperatures during glacial advances.