Dragonflies from Libellulidae family studied in a research by Punjabi University; five new species added to the global list

Indian Express

14-07-2025

Researchers at Punjabi University, Patiala, have studied dragonflies from the Libellulidae family, which are colorful insects often seen near lakes and ponds.
The research work carried by Dr Hardeep Singh and supervised by Prof. Gurinder Kaur Walia, at the Department of Zoology and Environmental Science, looked at the dragonflies' chromosomes (structures that carry genetic information) and their DNA to understand how different species are related to each other.
Dr. Hardeep Singh said that they collected dragonflies from various parts of North and South India and examined the chromosomes of these dragonflies to identify unique features and check for any changes in their structure. He told that they also studied a specific gene (mitochondrial COI gene) in the dragonflies' DNA, which acts like a 'barcode' to tell species apart and show how they are related. By combining the chromosome and DNA data, they confirmed how these dragonfly species evolved and are connected, he told further. He told that the findings were published in 4 research papers in well-known international journals.
Prof. Gurinder Kaur Walia told that the study added five new dragonfly species to the global list of 258 species studied for their chromosomes. They submitted DNA data for 28 sequences from 21 species to a global database (NCBI). They analyzed 112 DNA sequences from 80 species to map out how these dragonflies are related evolutionarily. She told that dragonflies are ancient insects, around for about 220 million years, and are related to some of the earliest winged insects.
They are important for studying freshwater environments (like lakes and rivers) because different species need different habitats, and they have complex life cycles (partly in water, partly on land). This makes them great for understanding ecology that how living things interact with their environment and evolution.
Vice-Chancellor Dr Jagdeep Singh, said that such researches are a testament to the quality of research being done in the university which enhances the prestige of the institution. He said that it is only on the basis of such quality researches that institutions are able to establish their identity at the international level.