title: [On the role of morphological and biochemical criteria in species identification: an example of larval dragonflies of the genus Aeshna].
abstract: Dragonflies belong to the group of organisms with numerous well-differentiated species-specific characters at the adult stage, on the one hand, and a significantly smaller number or even the absence of such characters at the early ontogenetic stages. An example of the genus Aeshna is used to show difficulties in revealing morphological and biochemical characters allowing identification of larval dragonflies belonging to closely related species of the family. Distinct morphometric characters can be found only in late-instar larvae. The presence of species-specific proteins in the homogenates of thoracic muscles provides the possibility of using biochemical tests for species identification of larvae. Infestation by parasites has no effects on the biochemical parameters studied. Species identification of the early-instar dragonfly larvae is still problematic.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Systematics and Ecology, Siberian Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul.Frunze 11, Novosibirsk, 630091 Russia.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Sukhacheva
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Kriukova
authors.forename: V V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Glupov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001671:Biochemistry / Q000379:methods; D004586:Electrophoresis; D004950:Esterases / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000737:chemistry; D007313:Insecta / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000469:parasitology; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D013045:Species Specificity; D014200:Trematoda
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D004950:Esterases