°ÄÃÅÓÀÀû

Prepared by Tanya L. Pulfer, Christopher G. Evans, David Featherstone, Ryan Post, Jennifer I. McCarter and Jolene F. Laverty

Hine’s Emerald (Somatochlora hineana) is a globally rare dragonfly restricted to southern °ÄÃÅÓÀÀû, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and Missouri. In °ÄÃÅÓÀÀû it is only known to occur in the Minesing Wetlands located in the County of Simcoe. It is listed as endangered under °ÄÃÅÓÀÀû’s Endangered Species Act, 2007 due to its habitat specificity, potential threats and extremely limited geographic range. It has also been listed as endangered or extirpated throughout its known global range.

The key features used to distinguish Hine’s Emerald from other similar species are the unique conformations of its sexual appendages or genital plates on the end of the abdomen, dark metallic green thorax with two creamy yellow lateral stripes and its relatively large size (60-65 mm long and 90-95 mm wingspan).

Hine’s Emerald is restricted throughout its range to calcareous wetlands (marshes, sedge meadows and fens) dominated by graminoid vegetation and fed primarily by groundwater seeps. Adult males occur in seepage areas and fens and adjacent margins, whereas females are usually found in dry meadows, sometimes in adjacent forest openings, only coming into wetlands to lay eggs. Adults may also utilize adjacent forests, gravel roads, trails and fields for foraging before returning to the wetlands to mate and lay eggs. Hine’s Emerald deposit eggs in shallow channels or sheetflow in areas of herbaceous vegetation in marshes, meadow marshes and fens. The larvae remain in cool, shallow, slowly-moving waters of spring-fed marshes, alkaline fens, mineral-rich fens with shallow creeks, springs, small pools, marl deposits and calcareous marshy streams for three to five years before emerging as adults. In some locations, larvae use crayfish burrows, mainly of Digger Crayfish or of Devil Crawfish (also known as Meadow Crayfish), as refuge habitat in the summer and winter months. Crayfish burrows are thought to be a critical component of Hine’s Emerald habitat where seasonal drought and freezing occurs and may be a factor limiting its distribution.

The main threats to this species in °ÄÃÅÓÀÀû are habitat loss due to changes in surface and sub-surface hydrology (including water quality), competition from invasive species (Garlic Mustard, Purple Loosestrife, Glossy Buckthorn and the non-native genotype of Common Reed) and vegetation succession from native species. The inter-species dependency of Hine’s Emerald on Digger Crayfish indicates that threats to the persistence of burrowing crayfish in °ÄÃÅÓÀÀû would have a severe negative effect on Hine’s Emerald.

The recovery goal for Hine’s Emerald is to prevent any loss of population, genetic diversity or habitat functionality at extant sites or at any other extant locations which may be identified in the future in °ÄÃÅÓÀÀû.

The recovery objectives outlined to achieve this goal are as follows:

• protect and maintain the quantity and quality of Hine’s Emerald habitat and habitat functionality, including the hydrological and hydrogeological function;
• reduce or mitigate threats to Hine’s Emerald and its habitat;
• increase knowledge of Hine’s Emerald biology in °ÄÃÅÓÀÀû including distribution, abundance, life history and habitat needs; and
• increase public awareness and understanding of Hine’s Emerald and its habitat in °ÄÃÅÓÀÀû.

It is recommended that the area regulated as habitat include all extant locations. In °ÄÃÅÓÀÀû, this currently includes only the Minesing Wetlands. In order to protect both the adult and larvae stages of Hine’s Emerald, it is recommended that the area prescribed as habitat include fen and wetland meadows, (i) where Hine’s Emerald have been observed and (ii) that are connected by surface or ground water to areas where Hine’s Emerald have been observed. In addition to these areas the prescribed habitat should also include 500 metres beyond each of these habitats. For the purposes of perching, movement and roosting, all forests and dry meadows that are adjacent to the areas described above should also be prescribed as habitat.

To allow for migration and dispersal between habitat patches used by Hine’s Emerald it is recommended that corridors connecting the habitat areas described above be prescribed as habitat. Corridors are believed to be both natural (creeks, swales and other water features) and anthropogenic features (trails, utility rights-of-way and gravel roads) that have forested edges or riparian habitat.

Due to the dependence of Hine’s Emerald habitat on groundwater recharge it is recommended that prescribed habitat include the Snow Valley Uplands, where the current regional groundwater infiltration regime is maintained for the entire Minesing Wetlands.