[Odonata-l] Obtaining Dried Libellulidae Specimens

[Dieter Vanderelst]

Dear List,

I've already posted this message to the ENTOMO-L list. So some of you might have already received it. In this case I apologize for cross posting.

I work in a group that studies the acoustic properties of echolocation in a few selected species of bats.

Currently we want to study the echolocation in a species that feeds on Neotropical Libellulidae. We would like to investigate the acoustic properties of a few representatives of this Family of insects. This is, how their body (shape, texture, material,...) influences the refraction of sonar waves emitted by bats.

To do this, we would require some specimens of Libellulidae looking more or less like the ones our bat is feeding on (ws 6-7 cm, boylength 4 cm).

Our group is located in Europe, Belgium. Therefore it's not clear at all how we could obtain samples of Neotropical insects for our studies.

My searches on the internet and the posting to the ENTOMO-L list did come up with only a few pointers that have yielded no concrete results so far. Therefore I'm now trying my luck on this list.

I've found some vendors of dried insects. But most of them do not sell Libellulidae. And I have had no response from those who do when I contacted them.

So my question to the list is basically this:
Does anybody know how I could obtain specimens of Libellulidae that have a wingspan of about 6-7 cm and a body length of 4 cm. Maybe someone has some old material lying around with which he or she is willing to part?

Hoping for the best,
Dieter Vanderelst

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Dieter Vanderelst
PhD Student

Active Perception Lab
University of Antwerp

Koningstraat 8
B-2000 Antwerp
Belgium