Aethiothemis gamblesi
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Aethiothemis gamblesi faces severe habitat degradation from agricultural expansion and urban development across its limited range in West Africa. Deforestation and wetland drainage for rice cultivation and palm oil plantations have eliminated critical breeding sites. Water pollution from agricultural runoff and mining activities further compromises the aquatic environments essential for larval development. Climate change-induced alterations to rainfall patterns threaten the seasonal water bodies this dragonfly depends upon for reproduction.
Habitat
This dragonfly inhabits forest-fringed streams, seasonal pools, and wetland margins in West African tropical forests. Adults require shaded waterways with emergent vegetation for perching and hunting, while larvae develop in slow-moving or still waters with abundant aquatic vegetation.
