Forest giants on different evolutionary branches: Ecomorphological convergence in helicopter damselflies*

Abstract

The convergent evolution of analogous features is an evolutionary process occurring independently across the tree of life. From the evolution of echolocation, prehensile tail, viviparity, or winged flight, environmental factors often drive this astonishing phenomenon. However, convergent evolution is not always conspicuous or easily identified. Giant damselflies count among the largest flying insects on Earth, and have astonishing ecologies including orb‐web spider plucking and oviposition in phytotelmata. One species occurs in the Afrotropics and 18 species are found in the Neotropics. Convergent evolution was historically hypothesized based on the ecological and morphological affinities of these two geographically distant lineages but was not supported by earlier phylogenetic inferences supporting their monophyly. Using a molecular supermatrix approach and a large selection of outgroups, we revisit and reject the monophyly of Afrotropical and Neotropical giant damselflies that is otherwise supported by a morphological phylogeny. Molecular divergence time estimation suggests an origin of Afrotropical giant damselflies in the late Paleogene, and of Neotropical ones at the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary, thereby rejecting a long‐standing West Gondwana vicariance hypothesis. The strong ecological and morphological resemblances between these two independent lineages represents an astonishing case of Amphi‐Atlantic tropical convergent evolution.

A molecular phylogeny of forktail damselflies (genusIschnura) reveals a dynamic macroevolutionary history of female colour polymorphisms

“…Here, we have presented the first molecular time-calibrated phylogeny for the damselfly genus Ischnura . Although both dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera) and damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) have long been popular study organisms in ecology, evolution and conservation biology (Cordoba-Aguilar, 2008), time-calibrated molecular phylogenies that could facilitate phylogenetic comparative studies in these two insect groups are still relatively few (Callahan and McPeek, 2016; Damm et al, 2010; Letsch et al, 2016; Toussaint et al, 2019; Waller and Svensson, 2017). Several species in the genus Ischnura in particular have been subject to much research on sexual selection, sexual conflict and female colour polymorphism (see Introduction).…”

Evaluating Potential Distribution and Niche Divergence among Populations of the World’s Largest Living Damselfly, Megaloprepus caerulatus (Drury, 1782)

“…Therefore, ecological divergence could be a result of an ancient and complex geographic event. Toussaint et al [90] tested three different clock partitioning schemes and two different tree models, which suggest an ancient origin for the diversification of Neotropical giant damselflies in the Paleogene-Eocene (50-40 Ma). Feindt et al [35] assume that the historical distribution of helicopter damselflies might have been in the northern portion of South America.…”

Tropical Origin, Global Diversification and Dispersal in the Pond Damselflies (Coenagrionoidea) Revealed by a New Molecular Phylogeny

“…Together, these two families constitute the most speciose clade of damselflies (Odonata: Zygoptera) worldwide (Dijkstra et al ., 2014; Bybee et al ., 2021). Different clades within Coenagrionidae exemplify both adaptive (Jordan et al ., 2003; Toussaint et al ., 2019) and non-adaptive evolutionary radiations (McPeek & Brown, 2000; Siepielski et al ., 2010). However, few molecular studies have examined the phylogenetic relationships within Coenagrionoidea (Carle et al ., 2008; Dijkstra et al ., 2014; Waller & Svensson, 2017; Toussaint et al ., 2019; Kohli et al ., 2020; Bybee et al ., 2021), and a single dated and species-level phylogeny currently includes this clade (Waller & Svensson, 2017).…”