Ringed boghaunter  (Williamsonia lintneri)

The ringed boghaunter is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1).

A small, dainty dragonfly, the ringed boghaunter (Williamsonia lintneri) is named after the eight distinctive orange bands which encircle its abdomen. It has an ebony brown body, pale tan face and greyish-blue smoky eyes (3) (4). The wings are colourless and transparent, with small, amber patches at the base (3).

The male and female ringed boghaunter are very similar in appearance, although the female has a fatter abdomen with a shorter, thicker appendage at the tip (3) (4).

Endemic to the Untied States of America, the ringed boghaunter has a restricted range and is mainly found in Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts (1) (3) (4). It occurs from eastern Connecticut up through southern New Hampshire and into southwestern Maine, and it has recently been recorded further west in Michigan and Wisconsin (3) (4).

Preferring fishless sphagnum moss pools, the ringed boghaunter can also be found in bogs or acid fens, often near forests of larch (Larix sp.) , black spruce (Picea mariana) or Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) (1) (2) (5). The larvae are aquatic, while the adult ringed boghaunter can usually be found in nearby vegetation or woodland (3).

In terms of reproduction, little is known about the general behaviour of the ringed boghaunter. However, the female ringed boghaunter is known to deposit eggs amongst sphagnum moss in shallow breeding pools, up to 30 centimetres deep (3). After passing through a number of moults, the aquatic nymph emerges in April, using stable vegetation in its pool to crawl about five centimetres out of the water. While clinging to the vegetation, the nymph emerges as the recognisable winged adult (4).

The adult ringed boghaunter emerges as early as April, and its flight period lasts until early June (3). In the three weeks of its adult life, the ringed boghaunter spends the majority of its time basking in sunny spots on tree trunks and rocks in woodland (2) (4).

Not a great deal is known about the diet of the ringed boghaunter, but, like other dragonflies, it is predatory. During the nymph stage it feeds on aquatic invertebrates, and the adult predates small flying insects (3).

The primary threat to the ringed boghaunter is the destruction of its habitat as a result of urbanisation (3). The forests surrounding its wetland habitat are being removed for residential development (4), and pesticides, pollution, collection and artificial changes in water levels have also been identified as threats (1) (3). During 1990, several locations were sprayed with the insecticide Malathion, which can be deadly to the ringed boghaunter larvae (1).

At present, the ringed boghaunter is not protected and more conservation action is needed (6). Often, wetland regulations do not include large enough buffer zones to protect the surrounding habitat, which the adult ringed boghaunter depends upon for hunting, breeding and roosting (1) (3) (4).

In the Mount Agamenticus region, a community plan was created to promote low impact development within towns situated close to the ringed boghaunter’s natural habitat. The plan also outlined the need to acquire extra land, creating adequate protective barriers around the ringed boghaunter habitat (7). Similar projects would be beneficial in Rhode Island and Massachusetts (1).

Water quality could also be improved in New Hampshire, as the state wetland regulations have been identified as inadequate in protecting water quality (1).

For more information on the ringed boghaunter:

• Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program – ringed boghaunter
  http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/species_info/nhfacts/williamsonia_lintneri.pdf

Find out more about dragonfly and damselfly conservation:

• Moore, N.W. (1997) Dragonflies: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Odonata Specialist Group, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. Available at:
  http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/1997-042.pdf