Urothemis edwardsi ssp. hulae Dumont

Lake Hula Basker (Urothemis edwardsi ssp. hulae)

The Blue Basker (Urothemis edwardsi (Selys)) is very widespread on the African continent and once also inhabited parts of the Middle East. The Middle East form, however, is not universally accepted as a distinct taxon.

The Lake Hula Basker was described in 1975, it is thought to have been a Pleistocene relict that was restricted to the Hula Valley in Israel. It differs from the nominate in the extent of the basal spot on its hindwings which is greatly reduced.

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The Lake Hula Basker disappeared due to the complete drainage of Lake Hula and its attached swamps in 1958.

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The photo below shows the nominate race of that species.

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Blue Basker (Urothemis edwardsi (Selys)); nominate

Photo: Ricky Taylor
http://www.inaturalist.org/people/ricky_taylor
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

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References:

[1] H. J. Dumont: Endemic dragonflies of Late Pleistocene age of the Hula Lake area (northern Israel), with notes on the Calopterygidae of the rivers Jordan (Israel, Jordan) and Litani (The Lebanon), and description of Urothemis edwardsi hulae subspec. nov. (Libellulidae). Odonatologica 4(1): 1-9. 1975

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edited: 12.01.2019