This thesis considers the phylogeny of Odonata from two different viewpoints. The first article, “The Palaeoptera Problem”, is an attempt at placing Odonata in the pterygote insect phylogenetic tree. The second, “A phylogenetic perspective on larval spine morphology in Leucorrhinia (Odonata, Libellulidae)”, is an in-depth view of the whiteface dragonflies, a monophyletic group that only contain...

Here, we investigate the evolutionary history of five northern dragonfly species to evaluate what role last glaciation period may have played in their current distributions. We look at population structure and estimate divergence times for populations following species: Aeshna juncea (Linnaeus), subarctica Walker, Sympetrum danae (Sulzer), Libellula quadrimaculata Linnaeus Somatochlora sahlberg...

While predators such as dragonflies are dependent on visual detection of moving prey, social interactions make conspecific detection equally important for many non-predatory insects. Specialized 'acute zones' associated with target detection have evolved in several insect groups and are a prominent male-specific feature in many dipteran flies. The physiology of target selective neurons associat...

This work is a synthesis of our current understanding of the mechanics, aerodynamics and visually mediated control of dragonfly and damselfly flight, with the addition of new experimental and computational data in several key areas. These are: the diversity of dragonfly wing morphologies, the aerodynamics of gliding flight, force generation in flapping flight, aerodynamic efficiency, comparativ...

Aeshna shennnong sp. nov. (holotype male: Dajiuhu national wetland park in Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, Shennongjia City, Hubei Province, China, 28. VIII. 2013) is described, illustrated and compared with its most similar congener, A. petalura Martin, 1908. The holotype will be deposited in the Collection of Aquatic Animals, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan ...