Odonata of the state of Maranhão, Brazil: Wallacean shortfall and priority areas for faunistic inventories

Abstract: Environmental changes are worrying in a scenario with large knowledge gaps on species diversity and distribution. Many species may become extinct before they are known to science. Considering this scenario, the present study aims to evaluate the known distribution of the species recorded for Maranhao state in Brazilian northeast region and discuss knowledge gaps about Odonata indicating the priority areas for faunistic inventories. Using primary and secondary data together, we present convex minimum polygons of the distribution of all the species registered for the state. In addition, we created maps with the richness of species and number of records of Odonata in the Maranhao state. In primary data sample 269 specimens, represented by 17 genera and 30 species were collected. Of the 30 species collected, 17 are new records for the state of Maranhao; of these, 35.29% are geographically widespread species, occurring in practically all regions of Brazil. Considering the records in the literature, there was a 68% increase in the number of Odonata species known for Maranhao. The most unexplored region is the Cerrado of the state of Maranhao. Furthermore, the transition regions between Cerrado and Amazonia and between Cerrado and Caatinga are also unknown. All these areas are a priority for faunistic inventories.