A New Species Discovered on Amulsar: EcoNews

Biologist Vasil Ananyan has recorded remarkable results during his studies in 2019, discovering two new species for the animal world of Armenia.

“A new species for Armenia: Aeshna juncea. Discovered on Mount Amulsar in 2018 and 2019. This is a rare and small relic of the glacial period in Armenia,” he wrote alongside the photos.

The other new species for Armenia, Sympetrum arenicolor, was discovered in the vicinity of Vedi and Khor Virap in the autumn of 2019. EcoNews.am spoke with biologist Vasil Ananyan, who mentioned that a full article on the study will be published in the spring. “There are many interesting materials about this insect that require separate study,” he noted.

The Aeshna juncea species was found on the slopes of Amulsar. Vasil Ananyan explained: “I cannot say whether it is in the mining area or not; those boundaries are not marked anywhere. I wanted to check one lake in the area, but I was told it is within the mining territory—the Benik Lake. I have looked at satellite images of that lake, and the coastal vegetation has been cleared; some work has been done there, which means that the animal, which lives there with 99% probability, could be adversely affected by changes in the water regime, but I was unable to go there.”

When asked whether the species has existed in Armenia until now, the biologist emphasized that the species has been present in Armenia since the ice age, and it is a relic species; however, people have not seen or discovered it until now.

Speaking about the distribution of the species, Vasil Ananyan noted that Aeshna juncea is widespread globally across Eurasia and North America and is not classified as endangered on an international level. “But this is not as interesting for us; what matters is the situation of the species in Armenia. From this perspective, the species is only known from a small point, and there are only a few dozen individuals there, which means that the population of this species is very low. However, it cannot be ruled out that it may also be found in other areas of Armenia… it’s not excluded, but it has not yet been discovered.”

When asked whether further extensive studies might necessitate the inclusion of the discovered species in the Red Book of Animals of Armenia, he made an important observation. According to him, the Sympetrum arenicolor species, which was found in the territory of the Khor Virap State Reserve, has been living in a habitat already transformed by humans for decades. “This species has gained ‘benefits’ due to human modification; nothing threatens it in that vast area where it lives in wetlands, and human activity does not pose a threat to it. There is no urgent need to include such new species in the Red Book, but the other species, which was found in the Amulsar area (Aeshna juncea), lives in a very limited and small piece of land, and human activity there can immediately impact and eliminate it. Such species must be taken seriously. Species that are known from very few locations and whose habitats are altered by humans should be monitored and certainly included in the Red Book,” he concluded.