Here, we investigate the evolutionary history of five northern dragonfly species to evaluate what role the last glaciation period may have played in their current distributions. We look at the population structure and estimate divergence times for populations of the following species: Aeshna juncea (Linnaeus), Aeshna subarctica Walker, Sympetrum danae (Sulzer), Libellula quadrimaculata Linnaeus and Somatochlora sahlbergi Trybom across their Holarctic range. Our results suggest a common phylogeographic pattern across all species except for S. sahlbergi. First, we find that North American and European populations are genetically distinct and have perhaps been separated for more than 400,000 years. Second, our data suggests that, based on genetics, populations from the Greater Beringian region (Beringia, Japan and China) have haplotypes that cluster with North America or Europe depending on the species rather than having a shared geographic affinity. This is perhaps a result of fluctuating sea levels and ice sheet coverage during the Quaternary period that influenced dispersal routes and refugia. Indeed, glacial Beringia may have been as much a transit zone as a refugia for dragonflies. Somatochlora sahlbergi shows no genetic variation across its range and therefore does not share the geographic patterns found in the other circumboreal dragonflies studied here. Lastly, we discuss the taxonomic status of Sympetrum danae, which our results indicate is a species complex comprising two species, one found in Eurasia through Beringia, and the other in North America east and south of Beringia. Through this study we present a shared history among different species from different families of dragonflies, which are influenced by the climatic fluctuations of the past.

Dragonflies (Odonata) are ancient and familiar insects with a deep and strong cultural association with humans. They have an aquatic larval stage and an aerial adult stage, meaning that they respond to ecological conditions in both freshwater and the adjacent land surface. Currently, 16% of dragonflies are threatened. Overall, they face several threats, especially habitat loss, landscape transformation, pollution, altered hydrology, spread of invasive alien species, as well as certain geographic‐specific threats. Overarching these threats, which can be interactive with each other, is the issue of global climate change and attendant extreme weather events. While many localised and habitat specialist species are under extreme threat, some other dragonfly species, mostly habitat generalists, benefit from certain moderate human activities, especially the creation of high‐quality artificial ponds. As well‐researched insects, dragonflies play an important role in the protection of freshwater and riparian ecosystems. Dragonfly assemblages have great value as sentinels of both deteriorating environmental conditions and ecosystem recovery following restoration. While similar findings on both threats and conservation actions are emerging across the world, certain ecosystems require targeted approaches. Above all, dragonflies must be included more widely in general biodiversity conservation activities and policies. Overall, dragonflies are important targets, tools and model organisms for conservation action, and they can act as potential surrogates for other taxa that also depend on high water and riparian zone quality. While research has paved the way to address these challenges, including the use of new technologies, we now urge that dragonflies be included more strongly in policy and management associated with both freshwater and adjacent terrestrial realms. This inclusion is especially effective as dragonflies have great appeal to a diverse community of people from odonatologists (citizen and professional) through to policymakers and managers, all of whom can employ dragonflies to contribute more to freshwater‐associated conservation. Finally, we propose an action plan focusing on five action points that address opportunities, and we suggest where dragonflies can play a greater role in freshwater/riparian zone conservation more widely across the world.

The global population structure and dispersal patterns of Pantala flavescens (Fabricius, 1798) are evaluated using a geographically extensive mitochondrial DNA dataset, a more limited samples of nuclear markers, wing isotopic (δ²H) data and a literature review. No spatial or temporal haplotype structure was recovered between the samples. Isotope data suggest that most samples were immigrants at the collection locations. A literature review of migration events for the species confirms regular inter-and intra-continental migrations occur (the majority reported from Asia, Africa and Australasia), with individuals and swarms dispersing thousands of kilometers over land and oceans. Migrations coincide with prevailing winds and seasonal rains, which points to a mechanism we name the “pantropical Pantala conveyor belt”, suggesting widespread gene flow is possible for an aquatic insect with excellent flying ability linked to rapid larval development.

This paper investigates species richness and species occupancy frequency distributions (SOFD) as well as patterns of abundance–occupancy relationship (SAOR) in Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) in a subtropical area. A total of 82 species and 1983 individuals were noted from 73 permanent and temporal water bodies (lakes and ponds) in the Pampa biome in southern Brazil. Odonate species occupancy ranged from 1 to 54. There were few widely distributed generalist species and several specialist species with a restricted distribution. About 70% of the species occurred in <10% of the water bodies, yielding a surprisingly high number of rare species, often making up the majority of the communities. No difference in species richness was found between temporal and permanent water bodies. Both temporal and permanent water bodies had odonate assemblages that fitted best with the unimodal satellite SOFD pattern. It seems that unimodal satellite SOFD pattern frequently occurred in the aquatic habitats. The SAOR pattern was positive and did not differ between permanent and temporal water bodies. Our results are consistent with a niche‐based model rather than a metapopulation dynamic model.