The classification and diversity of dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata). In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal Biodiversity: An Outline of Higher-level Classification and Survey of Taxonomic Richness (Addenda 2013)

A Revised Diagnosis of Palaeodysagrion cretacicus Zheng et al., 2016 (Insecta: Odonata) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese Amber, with erection of a new genus of fossil damselflies

The diagnosis of Palaeodysagrion cretacicus Zheng et al., 2016 is revised based on the description of a new specimen from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Previously, only a fragmentary wing base was known from the holotype. The new specimen shows the complete wing venation of fore- and hind wings as well as large parts of the body anatomy. The new information proves that Palaeodysagrion youlini Zheng et al., 2017 has a very different venation and does not belong to the same genus. Therefore, a new genus Pseudopalaeodysagrion gen. nov. is erected for this species. Concurring with the results of Archibald et al. (2021), the "dysagrionine" taxa from Burmese amber are transferred from Dysagrionidae to Burmadysagrionidae stat. nov.

Species diversity, hotspot congruence, and conservation of North American damselflies (Odonata: Zygoptera)

The rapid extinction of species is of considerable concern for biodiversity conservation. Identifying the drivers of species diversity and hotspots is beneficial for developing conservation strategies. Studies on insects have mainly focused on terrestrial species and rarely on semiaquatic species. Using 135,208 georeferenced occurrence records of 296 damselflies across North America, their species richness and endemism (represented by weighted endemism) patterns were mapped in a 100 × 100-km grid size, and the effects of environmental variables on species richness and endemism were investigated using generalized linear models and hierarchical partitioning. Subsequently, the top 5% grids with species richness and weighted endemism were separately selected as hotspots and their congruence was evaluated. Finally, species diversity hotspots were identified by integrating two types of hotspot grids, and gap analysis was performed to evaluate their conservation status. Temperature conditions and water availability had the strongest influence on species richness and endemism, respectively. Low congruence among species richness and endemism hotspots was observed. Moreover, four species diversity hotspots were identified, namely, region of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, southwestern United States, central Mexico, and southernmost North America. Approximately 69.31% of the hotspot grids are not a part of the existing protected areas, presenting a significant conservation gap. The habitats of taxonomic groups should be considered while identifying the most common driving mechanisms of endemism. Strengthening the establishment of protected areas in regions with conservation gaps is urgently needed to promote the conservation of damselflies in North America.

Complete mitochondrial genome of Macromia manchurica Asahina, 1964 (Odonata: Macromiidae)

We describe the first time sequencing and assembly of the complete mitochondrial genome of Macromia manchurica Asahina, 1964 (Odonata; Macromiidae; Macromia). The mitochondrial genome of M. manchurica was found to be 15,560 bp. It contains thirteen protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), two ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), and AT-rich region. The overall base composition of A. japonicus is A-38.6%, C-17.0%, G-12.5%, and T-31.9%. A phylogenetic analysis of 14 species within the order Odonata and order Ephemeroptera suggested that Macromia amphigena is most closely related to M. manchurica.

Taxonomic note on the species status of Epiophlebiadiana (Insecta, Odonata, Epiophlebiidae), including remarks on biogeography and possible species distribution

The species included in the genus Epiophlebia Calvert, 1903 represent an exception within Recent lineages - they do not belong to either dragonflies (Anisoptera) nor damselflies (Zygoptera). Nowadays, the genus is solely known from the Asian continent. Due to their stenoecious lifestyle, representatives of Epiophlebia are found in often very small relict populations in Nepal, Bhutan, India, Vietnam, China, North Korea, and Japan. We here present a taxonomic re-evaluation on the species status of Epiophlebiadiana Carle, 2012, known from the Sichuan province in China, supplemented with a morphological character mapping on a genetic tree to highlight synapomorphies of E.diana and E.laidlawi Tillyard, 1921. We conclude that E.diana is a junior synonym of E.laidlawi. Furthermore, we discuss the Recent distribution of the group, allowing for predictions of new habitats of representatives of this group.

Complete mitochondrial genome of large dragonfly (Macromia amphigena)

The complete mitochondrial genome of Macromia amphigena (Odonata; Macromiidae; Macromia) was sequenced and found to be 15,594 bp in length including 37 genes (thirteen protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and two ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) and a non-coding region). The overall GC content of the mitochondrial genome for M. amphigena was 28.4%. A phylogenetic analysis conducted for 13 species within the order Odonata suggested that Macromia daimoji is the most closely related to M. amphigena.

Checklist of Odonata (Insecta) of Doon Valley, Uttarakhand, India

In this communication, we have collated a checklist of 97 species of odonates from Doon valley, Uttarakhand by reviewing the literature. These species are distributed across 13 families, 58 genera, and eight superfamilies. Of these species, 60 were Anisoptera (dragonflies) and 37 were Zygoptera (damselflies). Three species of dragonflies and two damselflies are endemic to India. This checklist updates existing knowledge on insect diversity in the Doon valley and will aid conservation management of wetlands in the region.

Phylogeny and classification of Odonata using targeted genomics

Dragonflies and damselflies are a charismatic, medium-sized insect order (~6300 species) with a unique potential to approach comparative research questions. Their taxonomy and many ecological traits for a large fraction of extant species are relatively well understood. However, until now, the lack of a large-scale phylogeny based on high throughput data with the potential to connect both perspectives has precluded comparative evolutionary questions for these insects. Here, we provide an ordinal hypothesis of classification based on anchored hybrid enrichment using a total of 136 species representing 46 of the 48 families or incertae sedis, and a total of 478 target loci. Our analyses recovered the monophyly for all three suborders: Anisoptera, Anisozygoptera and Zygoptera. Although the backbone of the topology was reinforced and showed the highest support values to date, our genomic data was unable to stronglyresolve portions of the topology. In addition, a quartet sampling approach highlights the potential evolutionary scenarios that may have shaped evolutionary phylogeny (e.g., incomplete lineage sorting and introgression) of this taxon. Finally, in light of our phylogenomic reconstruction and previous morphological and molecular information we proposed an updated odonate classification and define five new families (Amanipodagrionidae fam. nov., Mesagrionidae fam. nov., Mesopodagrionidae fam. nov., Priscagrionidae fam. nov., Protolestidae fam. nov.) and reinstate another two (Rhipidolestidae stat. res., Tatocnemididae stat. res.). Additionally, we feature the problematic taxonomic groupings for examination in future studies to improve our current phylogenetic hypothesis.

Zeeshan Ali, Dasgpta N, Uniyal VP, Johnson JA, Hussain SA. Evaluating performance of four species distribution models using Blue-tailed Green Darner Anax guttatus (Insecta: Odonata) as model organism from the Gangetic riparian zone

In this paper we evaluated the performance of four species distribution models: generalized linear (GLM), maximum entropy (MAXENT), random forest (RF) and support vector machines (SVM) model, using the distribution of the dragonfly Blue-tailed Green Darner Anax guttatus in the Gangetic riparian zone between Bijnor and Kanpur barrage, Uttar Pradesh, India.  We used forest cover type, land use, land cover and five bioclimatic variable layers: annual mean temperature, isothermality, temperature seasonality, mean temperature of driest quarter, and precipitation seasonality to build the models.  We found that the GLM generated the highest values for AUC, Kappa statistic, TSS, specificity and sensitivity, and the lowest values for omission error and commission error, while the MAXENT model generated the lowest variance in variable importance. We suggest that researchers should not rely on any single algorithm, instead, they should test performance of all available models for their species and area of interest, and choose the best one to build a species distribution model.  

A checklist of chromosome numbers and a review of karyotype variation in Odonata of the world

The ancient insect order Odonata is divided into three suborders: Anisoptera and Zygoptera with approximately 3000 species worldwide each, and Anisozygoptera with only four extant species in the relict family Epiophlebiidae. An updated list of Odonata species studied regarding chromosome number, sex chromosome mechanism and the occurrence of m-chromosomes (= microchromosomes) is given. Karyotypes of 607 species (198 genera, 23 families), covering approximately 10% of described species, are reported: 423 species (125 genera, 8 families) of the Anisoptera, 184 species (72 genera, 14 families) of the Zygoptera, and one species of the Anisozygoptera. Among the Odonata, sex determination mechanisms in males can be of X(0), XY and X1X2Y types, and diploid chromosome numbers can vary from 6 to 41, with a clear mode at 2n = 25(60%) and two more local modes at 2n = 27(21%) and 2n = 23(13%). The karyotype 2n = 25(24A + X) is found in each of the three suborders and is the most typical (modal) in many families, including the best-covered Libellulidae, Corduliidae (Anisoptera), Lestidae, Calopterygidae, and Platycnemididae (Zygoptera). This chromosome set is considered ancestral for the Odonata in general. Chromosome rearrangements, among which fusions and fissions most likely predominated, led to independent origins of similar karyotypes within different phylogenetic lineages of the order. The karyotype 2n = 27(26A + X) prevails in Aeshnidae and Coenagrionidae, whereas the karyotype 2n = 23(22A + X) is modal in Gomphidae and Chlorocyphidae, in both pairs of families one being from the Anisoptera while the other from the Zygoptera.

Lista taxonómica actualizada de los insectos asociados a

Prosopis pallida es un componente importante para las comunidades de insectos, proporcionando alimento como tejidos vegetales, savia, néctar y/o polen y sirviendo además como lugar de refugio y reproducción. Se presenta una lista taxonómica actualizada y comentada de los insectos asociados a Prosopis pallida (Humb. & Bonpl. ex. Wild.) Kunth de la región Piura al noroeste de Perú, con base en recolectas y revisión de material depo­sitado en colecciones entomológicas. Se adicionan 59 especies y se completa la identificación de 40 géneros y siete morfoespecies citadas anteriormente, quedando la lista final conformada por 189 especies, 175 géneros, 84 familias y 12 órdenes. Los órdenes Coleoptera con 69 especies, Hymenoptera con 36 especies y las familias Coccinellidae y Formicidae con 11 y 10 especies respectivamente son las más diversas, además se confirma a Enallodiplosis discordis Gagné, 1994 atacando árboles de Prosopis pallida en territorio peruano. Del total de especies registradas, 68 son fitófagos, 16 son succionadores de savia, 49 son depredadores, 17 son parasitoi­des y 18 son polinizadores. Para todas las especies registradas se incluyen datos de colecta y distribución por provincia y paisaje ecológico.

The Odonata of Quebec: Specimen data from seven collections

Background

The Odonata, dragonflies and damselflies, constitute one of the more charismatic and better-studied orders of insects. The approximately 6,000 extant species on Earth can be variously found on all continents, except Antarctica. A relatively stable taxonomy, a relative ease of species identification and an aquatic immature stage has made the Odonata a taxon of interest in documenting the symptoms of global environmental change, especially at higher latitudes. The Odonata fauna of the north-temperate Canadian province of Quebec includes 150 species, many of which are at the northern limits of their geographic distribution.

New information

Quebec hosts multiple entomological specimen depositories, including seven publicly-accessible research collections. One of these, the University of Montreal's Ouellet-Robert Entomological Collection, houses an exceptionally large collection of Odonata. An initial specimen data capture project for this collection gathered 31,595 Quebec Odonata occurrence records, but several Quebec species were missing and geographic coverage was biased towards the Montreal region. To complement this dataset, we undertook to digitise the Odonata records of six other public research collections. They are, in order of Quebec Odonata collection size, the Laval University Entomological Collection, McGill University's Lyman Entomological Museum, the Insectarium of Montreal Research Collection, the Quebec Government's Insect Collection, Bishop's University's Insect Collection and the Laurentian Forestry Centre's René-Martineau Insectarium. Of the 40,447 total specimen occurrence records, 36,951 are identified to the species level, including 137 of the 150 species officially-recorded in Quebec and 2 non-nominotypical subspecies. We here summarise the data and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the datasets. The complete dataset is available with this publication (Suppl. material 1), whereas the specimen data associated with each collection are available as Darwin Core archives at Canadensys.net and will be updated as appropriate.

Odonata: Who They Are and What They Have Done for Us Lately: Classification and Ecosystem Services of Dragonflies

Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) are well-known but often poorly understood insects. Their phylogeny and classification have proved difficult to understand but, through use of modern morphological and molecular techniques, is becoming better understood and is discussed here. Although not considered to be of high economic importance, they do provide esthetic/spiritual benefits to humans, and may have some impact as predators of disease vectors and agricultural pests. In addition, their larvae are very important as intermediate or top predators in many aquatic ecosystems. More recently, they have been the objects of study that have yielded new information on the mechanics and control of insect flight.

Odonata of Canada

Since Corbet's thorough 1979 overview of Canadian Odonata, hundreds of regional works on taxonomy, faunistics, distribution, life history, ecology and behaviour have been written. Canada records 214 species of Odonata, an increase of 20 since the 1979 assessment. Estimates of unrecorded species are small; this reflects the well-known nature of the fauna. A major impetus for surveys and analyses of the status of species is the work of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada which provides a scientifically sound classification of wildlife species potentially at risk. As of 2017, six species have been designated "Endangered" and two "Special Concern" (only five of which are officially listed under the Federal Species at Risk Act (SARA)). The Order provides a good example of molecular barcoding effort in insects, as many well-accepted morphological species in Canada have been barcoded to some degree. However, more barcoding of accurately identified specimens of many species is still required, especially in most of the larger families, which have less than 70% of their species barcoded. Corbet noted that the larvae of 15 Canadian species were unknown, but almost all larvae are now well, or cursorily, described. Extensive surveys have greatly improved our understanding of species' geographical distributions, habitat requirements and conservation status but more research is required to better define occurrence, abundance and biological details for almost all species.

Biogeography and systematics of endemic island damselflies: The Nesobasis and Melanesobasis (Odonata: Zygoptera) of Fiji

The study of island fauna has greatly informed our understanding of the evolution of diversity. We here examine the phylogenetics, biogeography, and diversification of the damselfly genera Nesobasis and Melanesobasis, endemic to the Fiji Islands, to explore mechanisms of speciation in these highly speciose groups. Using mitochondrial (COI, 12S) and nuclear (ITS) replicons, we recovered garli-part maximum likelihood and mrbayes Bayesian phylogenetic hypotheses for 26 species of Nesobasis and eight species/subspecies of Melanesobasis. Biogeographical patterns were explored using lagrange and bayes-lagrange and interpreted through beast relaxed clock dating analyses. We found that Nesobasis and Melanesobasis have radiated throughout Fiji, but are not sister groups. For Nesobasis, while the two largest islands of the archipelago-Viti Levu and Vanua Levu-currently host two distinct species assemblages, they do not represent phylogenetic clades; of the three major groupings each contains some Viti Levu and some Vanua Levu species, suggesting independent colonization events across the archipelago. Our beast analysis suggests a high level of species diversification around 2-6 Ma. Our ancestral area reconstruction (rasp-lagrange) suggests that both dispersal and vicariance events contributed to the evolution of diversity. We thus conclude that the evolutionary history of Nesobasis and Melanesobasis is complex; while inter-island dispersal followed by speciation (i.e., peripatry) has contributed to diversity, speciation within islands appears to have taken place a number of times as well. This speciation has taken place relatively recently and appears to be driven more by reproductive isolation than by ecological differentiation: while species in Nesobasis are morphologically distinct from one another, they are ecologically very similar, and currently are found to exist sympatrically throughout the islands on which they are distributed. We consider the potential for allopatric speciation within islands, as well as the influence of parasitic endosymbionts, to explain the high rates of speciation in these damselflies.

Phylogenetic relationships of North American Gomphidae and their close relatives

Intrafamilial relationships among clubtail dragonflies (Gomphidae) have been the subject of many morphological studies, but have not yet been systematically evaluated using molecular data. Here we present the first molecular phylogeny of Gomphidae. We include six of the eight subfamilies previously suggested to be valid, and evaluate generic relationships within them. We have included examples of all genera reported from the Nearctic except Phyllocycla. This sample includes all North American species of Ophiogomphus, which has allowed us to explore intrageneric relationships in that genus. Our particular focus is on the closest relatives of the genus Gomphus, especially those North American species groups that have been commonly treated as subgenera of Gomphus. The Gomphus complex is split into additional genera, supported by molecular and morphological evidence: Phanogomphus, Stenogomphurus, Gomphurus and Hylogomphus are here considered to be valid genera. The genus Gomphus, in our restricted sense, does not occur in the western hemisphere; in addition, G. flavipes is transferred to Stylurus.

Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) as a bridge between ecology and evolutionary genomics

Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) present an unparalleled insect model to integrate evolutionary genomics with ecology for the study of insect evolution. Key features of Odonata include their ancient phylogenetic position, extensive phenotypic and ecological diversity, several unique evolutionary innovations, ease of study in the wild and usefulness as bioindicators for freshwater ecosystems worldwide. In this review, we synthesize studies on the evolution, ecology and physiology of odonates, highlighting those areas where the integration of ecology with genomics would yield significant insights into the evolutionary processes that would not be gained easily by working on other animal groups. We argue that the unique features of this group combined with their complex life cycle, flight behaviour, diversity in ecological niches and their sensitivity to anthropogenic change make odonates a promising and fruitful taxon for genomics focused research. Future areas of research that deserve increased attention are also briefly outlined.

The larvae of Epigomphus jannyae Belle, 1993 and E. tumefactus Calvert, 1903 (Insecta: Odonata: Gomphidae)

The taxonomic knowledge about immature stages of the insect order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) is rather limited in tropical America. Here, the larvae of Epigomphus jannyae Belle, 1993 and E. tumefactus Calvert, 1903 are described, figured, and compared with other described congeners. E. jannyae larva is characterized by 3rd antennomere 1.6 times longer than its widest part; ligula very poorly developed, with ten short, truncate teeth on middle; apical lobe of labial palp rounded and smooth. Lateral margins on abdominal segments (S5–9) serrated, lateral spines on S6–9 small and divergent; male epiproct with a pair of dorsal tubercles at basal 0.66; tips of cerci and paraprocts strongly divergent. The larva of E. tumefactus is characterized by 3rd antennomere 2.3 times longer than its widest part, ligula with 6–7 truncate teeth, apical lobe of labial palp acute and finely serrate. Lateral margins of S6–9 serrate, lateral spines on S7–9; male epiproct with a pair of dorsal tubercles at basal 0.50. Differences with other species were found in 3rd antennomere, lateral spines of S7–9, and the caudal appendages. Epigomphus larvae inhabit small, shallow creeks (1st order streams) where they live in fine benthic sediments. When mature, the larva leaves the water in shady places, climbing small rocks at the water’s edge and metamorphosing horizontally on flat rocks. These new descriptions bring the total number of Epigomphus species with known larval stages to eight; only 28% of the species in this genus are known as larva.

The thorax morphology of Epiophlebia (Insecta: Odonata) nymphs--including remarks on ontogenesis and evolution

The species of Epiophlebia are unique among the recent Odonata in showing a mixture of morphological characters of dragonflies (Anisoptera) and damselflies (Zygoptera). The status of the four described extant species of Epiophlebia is disputable from a genetic as well as from a morphological point of view. Here we present an analysis of the thoracic musculature of different nymphal instars of Epiophlebia laidlawi and Epiophlebia superstes to elucidate their morphology and ontogenetic development. In total, 75 muscles have been identified in the thorax of Epiophlebia. This represents the highest number of thoracic muscles ever found in any odonate. It includes six muscles that are reported for the first time for Odonata, and three of these are even new for Pterygota. In total, our results indicate that Epiophlebia has the most ancestral thoracic morphology among Odonata.