PMC

Phylogenetic position and phylogeny of Odonata. a Phylogeny of Insecta, showing the position of Odonata. Redrawn from Misof et al. [] by R. Futahashi. b Recreation of Odonate phylogeny showing the current state of odonate phylogeny. Redrawn and synthesized from [] and []. While a clear picture of family level groupings has emerged a well-supported backbone of phylogenetic relationships for both Anisoptera and Zygoptera is still lacking. G = (draft) genomes available and T = transcriptomes available (see Table  for details). Note that the two draft genomes currently available could not be more distantly related and there is a need to close the more than 250,000,000 year gap that exists between the two species

Diversity of both fossil and extant Odonata. a Lestes ceresti paratype MNHN R0744 Paris, France. Specimen is from the Chattian lacustrine carbonite of France and is 23.03–28.4 Ma. b Isophlebia sp. MNHN R55232 Paris, France. c Zentihoptera lanei ♂ courtesy of J. Johnson. d Ischnura ramburii mated pair (male above female below) with an andromorphic female, courtesy of S. Coleman. e Ischnura ramburii mated pair with a gynomorphic female courtesy of S. Coleman. f Platycypha caligata ♂ courtesy of J. Abbott. g Head of Calopteryx maculata ♂ showing the general head shape and relationship of the eyes and antennae for damselflies (Zygoptera). Red bar shows the distance between the eyes. h Head of Anax junius ♂ showing the general head shape and relationship of the eyes and antennae for dragonflies (Anisoptera) courtesy of R. Nelson. i Heteragrion angustipenne ♂ courtesy of K. Tennessen. j Microstigma rotundatum ♂ courtesy of K. Tennessen. k Arctotypus sylvaensis holotype PIN 17000/3245 Moscow, Russia. l Philogenia mangsisa larva from Bybee and Tennessen 2008. m-o Cordulegaster sp. larva anterior, dorsal and ventral view respectively. p Epiophlebia laidlawi larva. q Anax junius larva. r Hagenious brevistylus larva. s Macromiidae sp. t Podolestes orientalis larva courtesy of C.Y. Choong. M-S from SMB

Some field applications using Odonata. Panel a-b show pairs of the damselfly Coenagrion puella at Queen Elizabeth Country Park, UK. Animals have been marked on the thorax (to easily identify marked from unmarked animals) and assigned a unique code on the hindwing so that individual behaviours at the mating site can be recorded throughout an entire breeding season (photo credit Phillip C. Watts). Panel c shows males of the damselfly Calopteryx splendens (different colours represent groupings of resident and immigrant males, as well as mature and immature males) that have been marked with fluorescent dye at Klingavälsåns Naturreservat in Sweden to be measured upon release with a LIDAR []. Panel d shows an unidentified anisopteran species that was released at Stellenbosch in South Africa for trialling the setup of a remote insect monitoring technique called dark field spectroscopy []. Panel e shows a Calopteryx virgo damselfly male interacting with female C. virgo at Sövdemölla in Sweden. The female has been tethered with a cotton string to a bamboo stick to record mating responses of males. Panel f shows how the same tethered female from Panel e is being moved along the stream shoreline to record male responses []. Panel g shows a Calopteryx splendens male that had his wing patches increased with black paint, and Panel h shows how such wing manipulation can be applied even under field conditions. Photo credits C-H Maren Wellenreuther