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.

Wolbachia is one of the most common endosymbionts found infecting arthropods. Theory predicts symbionts like Wolbachia will be more common in species radiations, as host shift events occur with greatest frequency between closely related species. Further, the presence of Wolbachia itself may engender reproductive isolation, and promote speciation of their hosts. Here we screened 178 individuals belonging to 30 species of the damselfly genera Nesobasis and Melanesobasis — species radiations endemic to the Fiji archipelago in the South Pacific — for Wolbachia, using multilocus sequence typing to characterize bacterial strains. Incidence of Wolbachia was 71% in Nesobasis and 40% in Melanesobasis, and prevalence was also high, with an average of 88% in the Nesobasis species screened. We identified a total of 25 Wolbachia strains, belonging to supergroups A, B and F, with some epidemic strains present in multiple species. The occurrence of Wolbachia in both males and females, and the similar global prevalence found in both sexes rules out any strong effect of Wolbachia on the primary sex-ratio, but are compatible with the phenotype of cytoplasmic incompatibility. Nesobasis has higher species richness than most endemic island damselfly genera, and we discuss the potential for endosymbiont-mediated speciation within this group.

We report the entire mitochondrial genome of the scarce blue-tailed damselfly, Ischnura pumilio (Odonata, Coenagrionidae), using next-generation sequencing on genomic DNA. A de novo assembly provided a single contiguous sequence of 15,250 bp that contained the A + T-rich region and all standard coding regions; gene configuration is similar to other odonates and comprises 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes (12 S and 16 S rRNA) and 22 tRNA genes. We found a unique intergenic spacer in I. pumilio and confirm that the intergenic spacer s5 likely represents a synapomorphy between Anisoptera and Zygoptera. This is the first mitogenome sequence obtained for a member of the Coenagrionidae and demonstrates how next-generation sequencing technology can obtain mtDNA genome sequences without prior sample processing or primer design.

Heritable microbes are an important component of invertebrate biology, acting both as beneficial symbionts and reproductive parasites. Whilst most previous research has focussed on the ‘Wolbachia pandemic’, recent work has emphasised the importance of other microbial symbionts. In this study, we present a survey of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) for torix group Rickettsia, following previous research indicating that this clade can be common in other aquatic insect groups. PCR assays were used to screen a broad range of odonates from two continents and revealed 8 of 76 species tested were infected with Rickettsia. We then conducted further deeper screening of UK representatives of the Coenagrionidae damselfly family, revealing 6 of 8 UK coenagrionid species to be positive for torix Rickettsia. Analysis of Rickettsia gene sequences supported multiple establishments of symbiosis in the group. Some strains were shared between UK coenagrionid species that shared mtDNA barcodes, indicating a likely route for mitochondrial introgression between sister species. There was also evidence of coinfecting Rickettsia strains in two species. FISH analysis indicated Rickettsia were observed in the ovarioles, consistent with heritable symbiosis. We conclude that torix Rickettsia represent an important associate of odonates, being found in a broad range of species from both Europe and South America. There is evidence that coinfection can occur, vertical transmission is likely, and that symbiont movement following hybridisation may underpin the lack of ‘barcoding gap’ between well-established species pairs in the genus. Future work should establish the biological significance of the symbioses observed.