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Mating between species occurs within many insect orders. The result of heterospecific mating depends upon the effectiveness of pre- and post-reproductive barriers. Incomplete reproductive barriers lead to introgression of DNA into one species or both. Intricate genital morphology among dragonflies provides little assurance of species specificity given that heterospecific mating or mating attempts have been observed among many species. The genetic consequence is unknown for many heterospecific matings. For example, Somatochlora species mating and genetic exchange have been hypothesized based on observational records and individuals with hybrid morphology. We investigate the potential of heterospecific mating between North American Somatochlora species as inferred from multi-gene phylogenies. We used mitochondrial genes (COI and ND3) and nuclear genes (EF1-α and ITS2) to construct phylogenies using maximum parsimony. Observation of non-monophyletic mtDNA lineages but monophyletic nDNA lineages between Somatochlora sister-species would indicate mtDNA introgression and suggest heterospecific matings. Our results highlighted three instances of non-monophyly of mtDNA clades in the following groups: (i) S. hineana + S. tenebrosa; (ii) S. kennedyi + S. forcipata + S. franklini; and (iii) S. calverti + S. provocans + S. filosa. Analysis of partitioned Bremer support indicates that mtDNA COI largely contributed to the non-monophyly of these species, thus suggesting mtDNA introgression resulting from heterospecific matings. Additionally, the topology resulting from the combined data analysis was concordant with previous taxonomic understanding of Somatochlora species groups. These multi-gene phylogenies of North American Somatochlora are the first, providing a foundation for future ecological and evolution studies and knowledge for effective decision-making and public policy, which is especially important for the endangered species, S. hineana., (© 2024 The Author(s). Cladistics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Willi Hennig Society.)

The fifth burmaeshnid dragonfly, Neoaeschna kachinensis gen. et sp. nov., is described based on the basal parts of a pair of fore- and hindwings from Kachin amber, indicating that Burmaeshnidae Huang, Cai, Nel & Bechly, 2017 is the most diverse family of true dragonflies in Kachin amber. The new dragonfly differs from the other genera in having one row of cells present in the postdiscoidal area basal of the midfork, the trigonal planate being obsolete, and one or two crossveins present basal of the CuP-crossing in the submedian space.

Petaluridae (Odonata: Anisoptera) is a relict dragonfly family, having diverged from its sister family in the Jurassic, of eleven species that are notable among odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) for their exclusive use of fen and bog habitats, their burrowing behavior as nymphs, large body size as adults, and extended lifespans. To date, several nodes within this family remain unresolved, limiting the study of the evolution of this peculiar family. Using an anchored hybrid enrichment dataset of over 900 loci we reconstructed the species tree of Petaluridae. To estimate the temporal origin of the genera within this family, we used a set of well-vetted fossils and a relaxed molecular clock model in a divergence time estimation analysis. We estimate that Petaluridae originated in the early Cretaceous and confirm the existence of monophyletic Gondwanan and Laurasian clades within the family. Our relaxed molecular clock analysis estimated that these clades diverged from their MRCA approximately 160 mya. Extant lineages within this family were identified to have persisted from 6 (Uropetala) to 120 million years (Phenes). Our biogeographical analyses focusing on a set of key regions suggest that divergence within Petaluridae is largely correlated with continental drift, the exposure of land bridges, and the development of mountain ranges. Our results support the hypothesis that species within Petaluridae have persisted for tens of millions of years, with little fossil evidence to suggest widespread extinction in the family, despite optimal conditions for the fossilization of nymphs. Petaluridae appear to be a rare example of habitat specialists that have persisted for tens of millions of years., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We erect a new species Devadatta adii sp. nov. based on five males and five females collected from Upper Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh, India. The males of the new taxon are unique in terms of having a golden yellow lateral pterothorax, strongly curved cerci and filamentous genital ligula. We also provide illustrations of male thorax and caudal appendages of Devadatta spp..

Species of the cosmopolitan genus Anax Leach, 1815 are among the largest dragonflies and the most powerful flyers. Within the genus the proportion between body length and wing and the body shape of both sexes are of great taxonomic importance. Here we describe two new Anax species: Anax insulanus sp. nov., from the Solomon Islands and A. tonga sp. nov., from Tonga. To distinguish both species from a very similar sympatric congener we compare the S3 Index which is defined as the relative length and width at its narrowest point of abdominal segment 3. Anax fumosus celebense Lieftinck, 1942 is raised to species level. Diagnostic characters of male and female (if available) are illustrated. A key is presented for the identification of the males of the 14 species of Anax known to occur in the Australian, the Oceanian and the south of the Indomalayan Biogeographical Realms.

The final stadium larva of the Cryptophaea vietnamensis (van Tol & Rozendaal, 1995) from Vietnam is described and illustrated based on specimens reared to adulthood. This is the first record of a larva of the genus Cryptophaea Hämäläinen, 2003. The larvae of C. vietnamensis are seldom encountered, but where present they may co-occur with larvae of the genera Anisopleura Selys, 1853, Bayadera Selys, 1853, and Euphaea Selys, 1840. The larvae of Cryptophaea are very similar to those of Bayadera but can be separated from known larvae of that genus by the distal margin of the ligula being a pronounced bilobed structure and the spurs on outer margin of mandible being poorly developed.

We describe, illustrate and diagnose two hitherto unknown females of the genus Epipleoneura Williamson, 1915: E. capilliformis (Selys, 1886) and E. albuquerquei Machado, 1964. Both females are diagnosed based on the prothoracic hind lobe morphology: in E. capilliformis, the hind lobe is trilobed, with an elevated median portion, unique within the known females of the genus. Females of E. albuquerquei have an entire, posteriorly oriented (i.e. not partitioned into additional lobes) hind lobe, similar to E. haroldoi Santos, 1964, although more concave.

The larvae of Epigomphus rufus Bota-Sierra & Novelo-Gutiérrez, 2020, and E. brillantina Bota-Sierra & Novelo-Gutiérrez, 2020 (by supposition) are described, figured and compared with other described larvae of the genus. The larva of E. rufus is characterized by 3rd antennomere spindle-shaped, 2.12x as long as widest part; ligula with a ventral row of 8-10 short, truncate teeth on middle; abdomen lateral spines on S7-9 divergent and upturned; middorsal third of abdomen reddish-brown. The larva of E. brillantina is characterized by 3rd antennomere 2x as long as widest part, 4th antennomere more or less subspherical; ligula with 9-10 teeth, and lateral margins of S7-9 serrate.

The new family Libanoaeshnidae fam. nov., with the new genus and species Libanoaeshna mikhaeli gen. et sp. nov., are characterised, described and illustrated from Haqel, the famous upper Cenomanian fossil fish outcrop of Lebanon. This is the first time that a fossil insect is reported from this site. Libanoaeshnidae fam. nov., together with three other Cretaceous families, can be included in the stem group of the modern Aeshnodea Bechly, 1996, confirming the important diversification of this clade during this period, even if the oldest known representatives of the Aeshnidae sensu stricto are still Eocene.

The new species is described and illustrated from two males (holotype: Venezuela, Amazonas State, Serranía del Cuao, Caño Negro, 1440 m elevation, 5.087°N, 67.438°W, deposited in the MIZA Odonata collection, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Faculty of Agronomy, Maracay). The new species differs from all other species so far known mainly in structure of posterior hamulus and cercus. The subgenus Mesocordulia May, 1992 is formally elevated to generic rank different from Neocordulia Selys, 1882.

The processes responsible for the formation of Earth's most conspicuous diversity pattern, the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG), remain unexplored for many clades in the Tree of Life. Here, we present a densely sampled and dated molecular phylogeny for the most speciose clade of damselflies worldwide (Odonata: Coenagrionoidea) and investigate the role of time, macroevolutionary processes, and biome-shift dynamics in shaping the LDG in this ancient insect superfamily. We used process-based biogeographic models to jointly infer ancestral ranges and speciation times and to characterize within-biome dispersal and biome-shift dynamics across the cosmopolitan distribution of Coenagrionoidea. We also investigated temporal and biome-dependent variation in diversification rates. Our results uncover a tropical origin of pond damselflies and featherlegs ~105 Ma, while highlighting the uncertainty of ancestral ranges within the tropics in deep time. Even though diversification rates have declined since the origin of this clade, global climate change and biome-shifts have slowly increased diversity in warm- and cold-temperate areas, where lineage turnover rates have been relatively higher. This study underscores the importance of biogeographic origin and time to diversify as important drivers of the LDG in pond damselflies and their relatives, while diversification dynamics have instead resulted in the formation of ephemeral species in temperate regions. Biome-shifts, although limited by tropical niche conservatism, have been the main factor reducing the steepness of the LDG in the last 30 Myr. With ongoing climate change and increasing northward range expansions of many damselfly taxa, the LDG may become less pronounced. Our results support recent calls to unify biogeographic and macroevolutionary approaches to improve our understanding of how latitudinal diversity gradients are formed and why they vary across time and among taxa., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists.)

The final stadium larvae of the following four species of south-east Asian Chlorocyphidae are described and compared: Aristocypha fenestrella (Rambur), Heliocypha biseriata (Selys), Libellago hyalina (Selys) and Sundacypha petiolata (Selys), including both sexes for the latter two species. Excepting one L. hyalina specimen from Brunei, identified by supposition based on habitat, all specimens were identified by comparing and matching the mitochondrial marker COI with that of known adult specimens from Sarawak, Brunei and several localities throughout tropical Asia. The specimens presented close matches with all adults in this gene. An assessment of the efficacy of this method of identification is provided, noting that in some cases close species cannot be separated by bar-code matching and ultimate determination is partially based on known distributions of adults. Some aspects of the relationships among genera revealed by the genetic analyses are also discussed. In addition, an exuvia of Libellago lineata (Burmeister) from northern Thailand, identified by supposition, is partially described for the purpose of comparison with L. hyalina. For the morphological analysis the unique features of chlorocyphid anatomy are discussed, and some new terminology is introduced. Overall, the morphological analysis revealed numerous clear differences between the four species studied, and comparisons with available literature suggest that some of these may be characteristic of their genera. It is also evident that in some cases clear interspecific differences occur within genera. It is however concluded that a generic level larval key for the Oriental region Chlorocyphidae based on morphology may never be attainable, although local generic or even species level keys addressing the fauna of limited geographic areas may be possible in many places, especially as the larvae of more species come to be known and described in detail.

Distribution, characters and habitats of Coenagrion spp. in the Russian part of the Caucasus is considered, chiefly by the authors' own data. There are seven species, of which C. australocaspicum Dumont & Heidari, 1996 is for the first time recorded in Russia (Dagestan), C. ornatum (Selys, 1850) and C. scitulum (Rambur, 1842) in Karachay-Cherkess and Dagestan Republics and C. pulchellum (Vander Linden, 1825) in Dagestan. Coenagrion lunulatum is still known from the territory only by a century-old record by A.N. Bartenev from the highlands of West Caucasus. Keys for identification of the Caucasian species of the puella-group in a broad sense-C. australocaspicum, C. puella (Linnaeus, 1758), C. pulchellum and C. ponticum (Bartenef, 1929)-are provided. Coenagrion ponticum is supposed to be a hybridogenic species resulting from hybridiisation between C. puella and C. pulchellum in the past. Three of the EPIC (exon-primed intron-crossing) molecular markers, AgT, MLC and PRMT, were sequenced from the above mentioned puella-group spp. and C. ornatum, from the territory considered and elsewhere, plus from C. persicum (Lohmann, 1993) from Iran. Coenagrion ponticum thus entered molecular analysis for the first time. Coenagrion australocaspicum appeared divergent from the rest of the group. Coenagrion ponticum appeared inside the cluster of C. pulchellum while C. persicum outside it, so the species status of the former is challenged while that of the latter confirmed. The joint tree showed two clades in C. puella (with no difference in outer characters), one composed of specimens originating from the regions to the south of the Main Caucasian Range and from the Caspian areas of Dagestan including foothills, and the other with specimens from Inner Dagestan (plus one locality in the Caspian-faced foothills), West Caucasus, Western Europe, Ural and West Siberia.

Argia sertaneja sp. nov. (BRAZIL, Minas Gerais state, Chapada Gaúcha, Grande Sertão Veredas National Park, Vereda lodging (15.iv.2023, 15°11'14.7"S 45°41'01.7"W, 807 m asl, M.M. Souza leg., Coleção Biológica de Vespas Sociais-CBVS) is described, illustrated, and diagnosed. The new species can be separated from its congeners by the wide morphology of male cercus, and shape of female hind lobe of prothorax and mesostigmal lobes.

Caledargiolestes janiceae Lieftinck, 1975 was erected on the basis of a single not-fully mature male. Eleven years later a female was captured but never described. Despite further searching, this species was only rediscovered in early 2022 with one female and two males (immature and mature) collected. This paper provides descriptions of the female and of the male in different stages of maturity.

Diverse abiotic and biotic factors drive the ecological variation of communities across spatial and temporal dimensions. Within the Amazonian landscape, various freshwater environments exhibit distinct physicochemical characteristics. Thus, our study delved into the fluctuations of Odonata assemblages amidst distinct water bodies within Amazonia, encompassing two distinct climatic seasons. Comparative analysis was conducted on Odonata species diversity and assemblage composition across a blackwater pond, a lake, and a stream, spanning the initiation and culmination of the dry season in the southwestern Amazon region in Peru. Our methodology involved capturing adult Odonata using entomological nets on three separate occasions between 11:00 and 14:00 h for each water body in May (beginning of the dry season) and October (end of the dry season) of 2018. We also evaluated the influence of temperature, precipitation, and percent cloud cover on the abundance and richness of adult Odonata. Species richness and composition differed among the three water bodies in both periods of the dry season. No effect of the dry season periods on species richness and abundance was observed. However, except in the oxbow lake, the more abundant species were substituted to the end of the dry season. Our study highlights the influence of water body types on Odonata species diversity and composition. The effects of the sampling period during the dry season may not be immediately apparent in conventional diversity metrics, such as species richness and abundance. Instead, its effects manifest predominantly in the relative abundance of the species that compose these assemblages., (© 2024. Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil.)

A checklist, based on a database containing published data, of the Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) occurring in Sundaland and Wallacea is presented. The presence of (sub)species is indicated for eight main regions (Singapore & Peninsular Malaysia, South China Sea (islands in the South China Sea that are not sensibly treated as satellites of larger landmasses), Borneo, Sumatra, Java & Bali, Lesser Sunda, Sulawesi, Moluccas), 22 subregions and 80 smaller islands and island groups. In total 743 full species are recorded from the entire area with 549 species known from Sundaland and 270 from Wallacea. Of these 482 are not found outside Sundaland and Wallacea, 385 (ca. 52% of the fauna) of which are single region endemics; the majority of these are actually single island endemics. Notes are provided on taxonomic problems or indicating problematic distribution records. Prodasineura lansbergei is considered to be a nomen nudum (stat nov.). For each of the eight main regions the history of the study of odonates is briefly discussed, information is provided on the coverage of the available data and the faunal composition is described. An overview is given of genera for which no larvae have been described. A brief comparison is made between the faunas of Sundaland and Wallacea showing that they only share 10% of the species between them (76 of 743).

Group A of the genus Heteragrion Selys, 1862 comprises 34 species, of which 19 have complete descriptions of females. The aim of this study was to describe the female Heteragrion lencionii Vilela, Farias & Santos, 2021 based on three specimens collected at the Federal Institute of Sergipe (Brazil, Sergipe, São Cristóvão, -10.9198, -37.1862, 30 m asl, A.B.S. Farias leg., UFS), including mating specimens. Here, we provide a detailed diagnosis and illustrations of the female, and compare it with its closest congeners. Heteragrion lencionii female is distinguished from others by the shape of the intersternite, shape of the posterior lobe of the prothorax, and coloration of the head. The distribution extensions are relevant because the species has not been recorded from the type locality since its original description.

Protosticta Selys is a genus of damselflies of the family Platystictidae Kennedy found in forests of tropical Southeast Asia. The genus Protosticta has rarely been reported from Northeast India. In this paper, we describe Protosticta khasia sp. nov. (subfamily Protostictinae Dijkstra et al.) based on holotype male and paratype female collected from Maraikaphon, East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya, India. Protosticta khasia can be identified by the markings of the prothorax and the shape of the male paraproct with two arms. We also describe Yunnanosticta siangi sp. nov. (subfamily Sinostictinae Wilson) from Arunachal Pradesh, India, based on two males and two females. This species is differentiated from its congeners by the thoracic and abdominal markings as well as the shape of male caudal appendages. The key for males of Yunnanosticta is provided. Additionally, we provide new records of Protosticta samtsensis Gurung & Phan, along with an updated key to the Protosticta species of Northeast India.

The final instar larva of the genus Dysphaea Selys, 1853 is described and figured for the first time based on specimens of D. gloriosa Fraser, 1938 from Khao Yai National Park, Thailand. The larvae of D. gloriosa are very rarely encountered. The larvae are characterized by the relatively larger head, the swollen heavily spined genae extending well beyond the eyes, the swollen postocular lobes bearing a disordered row of dense strong marginal spines, the outer armature of the mandibles and the unusual labrum. Notes on the habitat and biology of the larvae are also provided.

Lyriothemis lucifera spec. nov. (holotype ♂: 18.iv.1998, Long Island, Rangat county, North and Middle Andaman district, Andaman Islands, India, ex.-coll. M. Hämäläinen, Wen-Chi Yeh, RMNH.INS. 1152914; deposited at Naturalis Biodiversity Centre Leiden, the Netherlands), is described and figured. This new species belongs to the 3rd group of Lyriothemis Brauer, 1868. Photographs of the name-bearing specimens of Lyriothemis magnificata (Selys, 1878), Lyriothemis daui Krüger, 1902, and Lyriothemis laui Krüger, 1902 are provided.

We describe a new species of dragonfly Macromia kannharaiensis sp. nov., based on a male and a female specimens collected from Dodamarg taluka, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra. The new species belongs to the calliope-group (species group initially discussed by Laidlaw 1922), and it can be distinguished by its congeners on the bases of specific colour pattern on postclypeus, markings on S2 and S8, shape and structure of caudal appendages and accessory genitalia.

The type series of Macromia pyramidalis Martin, 1907 was for a long time suspected to be heterogeneous. The photographs of the three syntypes preserved in Muséum National d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France (MNHN) revealed the male syntype to be consubspecific to the current Macromia pinratani vietnamica Asahina, 1996 and the two female syntypes conspecific to the current Macromia berlandi Lieftinck, 1941. The name M. pyramidalis is the oldest among those mentioned. The male syntype is designated as the lectotype of M. pyramidalis to result in somewhat less inconvenient nomenclatural consequences, which are as follows: Macromia pyramidalis pyramidalis, valid name = Macromia pinratani vietnamica, syn. nov.; Macromia pyramidalis pinratani Asahina, 1983, comb. nov.; Macromia pyramidalis, valid name = Macromia pinratani, syn. nov.

Two new damselflies are described on the basis of isolated wings from the Eocene Green River Formation (Colorado, USA), the eodysagrionine new genus and species Gusagrion coloratum and the dysagrionid new species Petrolestes inexpectatus. These new taxa confirm the great diversity of the fauna of large damselflies in this formation, currently much more important than the smaller damselflies of Lestoidea and Coenagrionoidea clades and of the large Anisoptera. It seems that important changes occurred in the faunal composition of the Odonata between the Eocene and Oligocene.

The larva of Epigomphus sulcatistyla Donnelly, 1989 is described, figured and compared with other described Mexican larvae. It is characterized by 3rd antennomere spindle-shaped, almost twice longer than its widest part; ligula with a ventral row of eight short, truncate teeth on middle; abdomen lateral spines on S7-9 slightly divergent; male epiproct dorsal tubercles rounded apically and divergent distally. It differs from other Mexican species mainly in shape of 3rd antennomere, number of teeth on ligula, serrations on lateral margins of S8-9, and shape of cerci. Also, the hitherto unknown female is described, for the first time, based on four teneral female from reared larvae.

The unknown female, Leptagrion itabaiana Vilela, Lencioni & Santos, 2021 was described, illustrated, and diagnosed based on two specimens collected in the Serra of Itabaiana National Park (♀, Brazil, Sergipe, Areia Branca, Serra of Itabaiana National Park, -10.7484, -37.3390, 221 m, 24.v.2023, A. B. S. Farias leg., UFS). Leptagrion itabaiana female can be separated from their congeners by the following characteristic combinations: shape of the prothoracic hind lobe, body size, and ovipositor valves size.

In this study, we described the last instar larva of Angelagrion nathaliae Lencioni, 2008, the first one described for this genus, collected in Inconfidentes and Uberlândia municipalities, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. We compared the diagnostic characters of A. nathaliae with some species of Telebasis Selys, 1865. Despite some similarities with Telebasis larvae, the larva of A. nathaliae can be distinguished from the family by a combination of characters of the mouthparts and gills.

A new hemeroscopid dragonfly, Parahemeroscopus jiuquanensis gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Lower Cretaceous Zhonggou Formation of the Jiuquan Basin, northwestern China. Parahemeroscopus gen. nov. has the mixed characters of the hemeroscopid genera Hemeroscopus Pritykina, 1977 and Abrohemeroscopus Ren, Liu & Cheng, 2003, and probably represents a transitional dragonfly from Abrohemeroscopus to Hemeroscopus. The new finding not only adds to the diversity of the Hemeroscopidae Pritykina, 1977, but also provides clues for revealing the early evolution of the hemeroscopid dragonflies.

Perilestes jueni sp. nov. (Brazil, Amazonas State, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Ponto 8 (0.165, -67.007, 92 m asl), 2.xii.2021, C.C. Mendoza-Penagos M. Silva-Gonçalves & S. Da Silva Ribeiro leg.) is described based on one male collected in a remote area of the Brazilian Amazon Forest. The new species is separated from congeners based on cercus morphology.

Disturbance (e.g. loss of plant cover) increases ambient temperature which can be lethal for ectotherm insects especially in hot places. We compared the thorax temperatures of 26 odonate species as a function of body size, habitat quality ("conserved" and cooler vs "perturbed" and warmer) and suborder (Anisoptera vs Zygoptera), as well as critical thermal maximum (CTmax) and as a function of habitat quality in Argia pulla (Zygoptera) and Orthemis ferruginea (Anisoptera). We expected thorax temperatures to differ between suborders based on their differences in body size and habitat quality status, and that populations in perturbed sites would have higher critical thermal maxima compared to those in conserved sites. This study was done in a tropical region with high ambient temperatures. Anisopterans had a higher body temperature than zygopterans, with no difference between habitats. Thoracic and air temperature were positively related, yet body temperatures were higher than the ambient temperature. A. pulla had higher CTmax in the perturbed sites, while O. ferruginea showed the opposite trend. Microenvironmental changes increase the ambient temperature, perhaps filtering insect species. The apparent resilience of odonates to disturbance should be examined more closely (using more species), especially in small species like the zygopterans which appear to be more strongly affected by ambient temperature., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

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., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Colour polymorphisms are popular study systems among biologists interested in evolutionary dynamics, genomics, sexual selection and sexual conflict. In many damselfly groups, such as in the globally distributed genus Ischnura (forktails), sex-limited female colour polymorphisms occur in multiple species. Female-polymorphic species contain two or three female morphs, one of which phenotypically matches the male (androchrome or male mimic) and the other(s) which are phenotypically distinct from the male (heterochrome). These female colour polymorphisms are thought to be maintained by frequency-dependent sexual conflict, but their macroevolutionary histories are unknown, due to the lack of a robust molecular phylogeny. Here, we present the first time-calibrated phylogeny of Ischnura, using a multispecies coalescent approach (StarBEAST2) and incorporating both molecular and fossil data for 41 extant species (55% of the genus). We estimate the age of Ischnura to be between 13.8 and 23.4 millions of years, i.e. Miocene. We infer the ancestral state of this genus as female monomorphism with heterochrome females, with multiple gains and losses of female polymorphisms, evidence of trans-species female polymorphisms and a significant positive relationship between female polymorphism incidence and current geographic range size. Our study provides a robust phylogenetic framework for future research on the dynamic macroevolutionary history of this clade with its extraordinary diversity of sex-limited female polymorphisms., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The Brazilian fauna of Lestidae contains two genera (Archilestes Selys, 1862 and Lestes Leach in Brewster, 1815) with 14 species, many of which are poorly defined and/or known only by primary literature. To improve the knowledge of the Brazilian species of the genus Lestes we examined 97 specimens pertaining to 11 of the 13 described species. Additionally, a new species is described here in honor to Prof. Dr. Paulo De Marco Júnior: Lestes demarcoi (Holotype and Allotype: Brazil: Amazonas, Manaus, Reserva Adolpho Ducke, Acará trail, 02º55'46" S 59º58'22" W, 62 m, 13.iv.2009, collected in tandem, U.G. Neiss leg. and deposited in FAAL). Diagnostic illustrations of all species are provided. Color photographs of live individuals of Lestes dichrostigma Calvert, 1909, Lestes forficula Rambur, 1842 and Lestes paulistus Calvert, 1909 are also presented.

Chlorogomphus danhkyi sp. nov. (Holotype ♂: Khe Ro, Vu Quang National Park, Ha Tinh Province, 15.0444 N, 107.9270 E, altitude 1480 m) based on both sexes is described. The new species differs from Chlorogomphus piaoacensis Karube, 2013 mainly by the shape of male cerci. Other species of Chlorogomphus Selys, 1854 from Vu Quang National Park are also recorded.

The last instar larva of Micrathyria paulsoni González-Soriano, 2020 is described and illustrated in detail based on specimens collected in Veracruz State, Mexico. It is compared with the larvae of M. didyma (Selys in Sagra, 1857) and M. hypodidyma Calvert, 1906, all of them belonging into the "Micrathyria didyma" group. The main structural features of M. paulsoni larva are 910 long premental setae plus 45 small setae, palpal setae 10, legs banded, a large, submedian, dark spot on each side of a pale middorsal line on S69, S89 with a posterolateral spine, larger in S9.

Leptagrion itabaiana sp. nov. (Brazil, Sergipe, Areia Branca, Serra de Itabaiana National Park, (10.7517 S, 37.3415 W, 179 m asl), 3.ii.2021, J.C. Santos leg.) is described, diagnosed, illustrated and compared with morphologically close congeners based on male specimens. The new species can be separated from other Leptagrion species mainly by cercus morphology.

During the two decades (20012020) of the journal's existence, 346 papers on Odonata were published in Zootaxa. These papers contributed 317 new extant taxa, 26 new fossil taxa, and 106 new larval descriptions. By the end of the period, papers in Zootaxa were contributing slightly more than half of all descriptions of new extant taxa. Research was published from all over the world but predominantly from the American and Asian tropics, and authors from 42 countries contributed papers.

Coeliccia furcata Hämäläinen, 1986, an atypical species of Coeliccia Kirby, 1890 with bifurcated male cerci, had been known solely from the holotype male collected in Myanmar in 1938. In recent years the species has been rediscovered in Yunnan, China. The first description of the female is given, along with descriptive notes on the male and illustrations of both sexes, including fresh images of the holotype. Another of the unusual features of C. furcata is the extremely simple form of its penile organ, this is discussed and compared with other species from mainland Asia and Japan currently placed in Coeliccia and with a simple penile organ.

The larva of the genus Brachygonia Kirby, 1889 is described and illustrated for the first time based on the larvae of Brachygonia oculata (Brauer, 1878) discovered and successfully reared in Singapore. Compared to known larvae from genera in the rather heterogeneous subfamily Brachydiplacinae, B. oculata is most similar to species from the genus Brachydiplax Brauer, 1868 after comparison is made with the larva of Brachydiplax farinosa Krüger, 1902.

The last instar larva of Planiplax sanguiniventris (Calvert, 1907) is described and illustrated in detail based on one specimen collected in the municipality of Tenosique, Tabasco, Mexico. It is compared with the larvae of P. phoenicura Ris, 1912 and a congeneric unidentified species from Colombia. The main structural features are the number of setae on palp and prementum, the size of dorsal protuberance on S3, and the length of posterolateral spines on S89 and caudal appendages.

The Neotropical genus Heteragrion Selys, 1862 is one of the most speciose among Zygoptera. Notwithstanding, most of its species are poorly known, especially those from undersampled areas such as Northeastern Brazil. Here, we describe Heteragrion lencionii sp. nov., from protected areas of Sergipe state (Holotype ♂, Brazil, Sergipe, Areia Branca, Serra de Itabaiana National Park, -10.7484, -37.3390, 179 m, 7.xii.2020, A.B. Farias A.E. dos Santos leg., in UFS). This is only the second Heteragrion species discovered as new for the Northeastern region of Brazil, separated from other congeners by cercus morphology and thoracic coloration pattern.

We describe Republica weatbrooki, a new genus and species of damselfly (Odonata, Zygoptera, Euphaeidae, Eodichromatinae) from the early Eocene (Ypresian) fossil locality at Republic, Washington, U.S.A. Its single specimen is the sole damselfly known from the Okanagan Highlands series of localities in far-western North America.

Heteragrion gorbi sp. nov. (Zygoptera: Heteragrionidae) is described and diagnosed based on six ♂♂ and one ♀. The specimens were collected in a stream in a Neotropical savannah fragment in São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil. We present pictures of the holotype and the female. This is a species with blue coloration pattern, rare among its congeners.

We present the results of the first-ever DNA barcoding study of odonates from the Maltese Islands. In total, 10 morphologically identified species were collected during a two-week long expedition in 2018. Eighty cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes were obtained from the collected specimens. Intra- and interspecific distances ranged from 0.00% to 2.24% and 0.48% to 17.62%, respectively. Successful species identification based on ascribing a single morphological species to a single Barcode Index Number (BIN) was achieved for eight species (80%). In the case of two species, Ischnura genei and Anax parthenope , BINs were shared with other closely related species. The taxonomic status of I. genei is questionable and the phylogenetic relationship between A. imperator / parthenope is not clear. Further studies involving a series of adult specimens collected in a wide spatial range and nuclear markers are necessary to resolve these cases. Therefore, this dataset serves as an initial DNA barcode reference library for Maltese odonates, within a larger project: Aquatic Macroinvertebrates DNA Barcode Library of Malta.

The Odonata are considered among the most endangered freshwater faunal taxa. Their DNA-based monitoring relies on validated reference data sets that are often lacking or do not cover important biogeographical centres of diversification. This study presents the results of a DNA barcoding campaign on Odonata, based on the standard 658-bp 5' end region of the mitochondrial COI gene, involving the collection of 812 specimens (409 of which barcoded) from peninsular Italy and its main islands (328 localities), belonging to all the 88 species (31 Zygoptera and 57 Anisoptera) known from the country. Additional BOLD and GenBank data from Holarctic samples expanded the data set to 1,294 DNA barcodes. A multi-approach species delimitation analysis involving two distance (OT and ABGD) and four tree-based (PTP, MPTP, GMYC and bGMYC) methods was used to explore these data. Of the 88 investigated morphospecies, 75 (85%) unequivocally corresponded to distinct molecular operational units, whereas the remaining ones were classified as 'warnings' (i.e. showing a mismatch between morphospecies assignment and DNA-based species delimitation). These results are in contrast with other DNA barcoding studies on Odonata showing up to 95% of identification success. The species causing warnings were grouped into three categories depending on if they showed low, high or mixed genetic divergence patterns. The analysis of haplotype networks revealed unexpected intraspecific complexity at the Italian, Palearctic and Holarctic scale, possibly indicating the occurrence of cryptic species. Overall, this study provides new insights into the taxonomy of odonates and a valuable basis for future DNA and eDNA-based monitoring studies., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In community ecology, it is important to understand the distribution of communities along environmental and spatial gradients. However, it is common for the residuals of models investigating those relationships to be very high (> 50%). It is believed that species' intrinsic characteristics such as rarity can contribute to large residuals. The objective of this study is to test the relationship among communities and environmental and spatial predictors by evaluating the relative contribution of common and rare species to the explanatory power of models. Our hypothesis is that the residual of partition the variation of community matrix (varpart) models will decrease as rare species get removed. We used several environmental variables and spatial filters as varpart model predictors of fish and Zygoptera (Insecta: Odonata) communities in 109 and 141 Amazonian streams, respectively. We built a repetition structure, in which we gradually removed common and rare species independently. After the repetitions and removal of species, our hypothesis was not corroborated. In all scenarios, removing up to 50% of rare species did not reduce model residuals. Common species are important and rare species are irrelevant for understanding the relationships among communities and environmental and spatial gradients using varpart. Therefore, our findings suggest that studies using varpart with single sampling events that do not detect rare species can efficiently assess general distributional patterns of communities along environmental and spatial gradients. However, when the objectives concern conservation of biodiversity and functional diversity, rare species must be carefully assessed by other complementary methods, since they are not well represented in varpart models.

Insect wings are highly evolved structures with aerodynamic and structural properties that are not fully understood or systematically modeled. Most species in the insect order Odonata have permanently deployed high aspect ratio wings. Odonata have been documented to exhibit extraordinary flight performance and a wide range of interesting flight behaviors that rely on agility and efficiency. The characteristic three-dimensional corrugated structures of these wings have been observed and modeled for a small number of species, with studies showing that corrugations can provide significant aerodynamic and structural advantages. Comprehensive museum collections are the most practical source of Odonata wing, despite the risk of adverse effects caused by dehydration and preservation of specimens. Museum specimens are not to be handled or damaged and are best left undisturbed in their display enclosures. We have undertaken a systematic process of scanning, modeling, and post-processing the wings of over 80 Odonata species using a novel and accurate method and apparatus we developed for this purpose. The method allows the samples to stay inside their glass cases if necessary and is non-destructive. The measurements taken have been validated against micro-computed tomography scanning and against similar-sized objects with measured dimensions. The resulting publicly available dataset will allow aeronautical analysis of Odonata aerodynamics and structures, the study of the evolution of functional structures, and research into insect ecology. The technique is useable for other orders of insects and other fragile samples., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Combining scientific data over a long-time period is necessary for generating large-scale datasets, which are an essential component of comparative analysis for understanding evolutionary processes. Furthermore, monitoring temporal and spatial distributions of animals at a global and regional scale is essential for studying climate change driven extinction risks. Regional and global datasets focusing on different animal groups are on the rise to meet such challenges. Although being one of the earliest and best-known insect groups, the data on Odonata remains rudimentary and dispersed, especially in the South Asian region. Bangladesh, being located within a biodiversity hotspot, possesses a large number of odonate species and many of them are endemic to the South Asian region. We have developed an online database for the Odonata of Bangladesh by compiling and digitizing data from our last four years of field studies, from previously published research articles and field guides, and also by collecting data from citizen scientists. The Odonata of Bangladesh database (accessible at http://www.odobd.org) contains phenotypic, genotypic, photographic, taxonomic, biogeographic and faunistic data of the Odonata of Bangladesh. The database will be a valuable resource for understanding diversity, distributions, extinction risks and conservation planning of the Odonata of Bangladesh. Finally, phenotypic, spatial and temporal data of Odonata of Bangladesh datasets can be integrated with other regional datasets for analyzing macroevolutionary trends and to monitor the effect of climate change on odonates., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

We present The Odonate Phenotypic Database (OPD): an online data resource of dragonfly and damselfly phenotypes (Insecta: Odonata). Odonata is a relatively small insect order that currently consists of about 6400 species belonging to 32 families. The database consists of multiple morphological, life-history and behavioral traits, and biogeographical information collected from literature sources. We see taxon-specific phenotypic databases from Odonata and other organismal groups as becoming an increasing valuable resource in comparative studies. Our database has phenotypic records for 1011 of all 6400 known odonate species. The database is accessible at http://www.odonatephenotypicdatabase.org/, and a static version with an information file about the variables in the database is archived at Dryad.

The beautifully colored damselflies included in Neoneura Selys are divided in 28 species known from North, Central and South America. Larval stage is little known, only seven species were described at this stage. We describe and illustrate the final instar larva of Neoneura confundens for the first time. Adults associated to this larva correspond to the blue form of the species and are also discussed and illustrated. The larva of N. confundens is similar to other Neoneura larvae, showing 1 premental seta and a well-marked nodus in caudal lamellae, but it can be differentiated by having fringed posterior margin in all tibiae and in middle and hind tarsi, among other characters. A key to known larvae of Neoneura and new records extending the species range in the southern cone are provided.