Northernmost recorded breeding of the Black Pennant Selysiothemis nigra (Vander Linden, 1825) shows further spread in the Carpathian Basin (Odonata, Libellulidae)
Northward range expansion has become increasingly common among European arthropods in recent decades. As global temperatures rise and the spread of artificial habitats alters ecological conditions, many species are establishing breeding populations outside their native ranges. The Black Pennant Selysiothemis nigra (Vander Linden, 1825), considered native to the Iranoeremian region, has shown a rapid range expansion across Europe, reaching several new countries since the 2000s. As part of this process, the species was recorded in Hungary as well as in the Carpathian Basin in 2020 for the first time, when a single female specimen was observed during a field survey. In this study, we examined the species at the northern edge of its current European distribution in Hungary, using both traditional field observations collected between 2020 and 2025 and citizen science data. We documented 39 new occurrences, including multiple swarms consisting of more than one hundred individuals. At one of these sites, where copulating adults had previously been observed, larval sampling revealed the presence of immature stages. A total of 11 naiads were found in two gravel pit lakes, providing direct evidence of successful reproduction at 47.3262°N. This represents the first known autochthonous population in the Carpathian Basin and the northernmost breeding population of the species worldwide. Our results demonstrate that the Black Pennant is established and increasingly widespread in the Carpathian Basin, highlighting the importance of confirmed breeding populations in assessing range dynamics while emphasizing the growing value of citizen science platforms for tracking distributional changes in arthropods.
Found an error? Please report to login@optimap.science.