Below you will find a the ICO2023 programme. This is the most up-to-date version and will be kept updated as the programme develops.
A printed version of the programme and abstracts will be available on site for registered delegates.
ICO2023 programme overview
Congress programme
There are five main themes of the ICO2023 (see descriptions below). But the congress is also open to all other topics such as dragonfly ecology, evolution, behaviour, physiology and all other aspects concerning dragonflies.
Dragonflies on islands (Host Andreas Martens, Germany)
For odonates, islands offer opportunities and limitations. On one hand, there is the limited population size, the limited range, the high risk of extinction and the strong impact of habitat destruction and invasive species under island conditions. On the other hand, islands offer good opportunities for radiation and speciation. Secondly, island may be resorts for endemics or act as stepstones for invaders, especially under climate change conditions. The third perspective is that islands may serve as good models for trends in population size, habitat use, threads and extinction risks, worldwide. Because of isolation and clearly defined land size, it is easier to gain complete data sets, especially in the tropics.
Plenary speaker Andreas Martens: A theory of island odonatography
Biogeography (Host Vincent Kalkman, The Netherlands)
Data on distribution and phylogeny of dragonflies and damselflies has increased steadily in the past decades. With this data we can start to better describe and understand diversity patterns. How does habitat choice shape distribution patterns? Which distributions can best be explained by present day climate and which reflect past geological events? How will climate change impact the odonates of Cyprus?
Plenary speaker: n.n.
Taxonomy and Phylogeny (Host Jessica Ware, USA)
The intra-ordinal relationships among dragonflies and damselflies will be covered in this session on the taxonomy and phylogeny of Odonata. Both molecular and morphological systematics have been in a sort of renaissance over the last few years as new genomic and morphological tools have become available. We welcome talks on revisionary taxonomy, systematics, divergence time estimation, phylogeography and presentations which use phylogenies more broadly.
Plenary speaker Lacie Newton: GEODE: generic level sampling across Odonata allows for better understanding of the dragonfly and damselfly tree of life.
Conservation (Host Geert de Knijf, Belgium)
Many species of dragonflies are declining and are threatened in many parts of the world. To halt their decline and to restore their habitats, it is crucial to know their habitat requirements, both for the larval and for the adult stage. In this session we welcome presentations on habitat requirements, including their terrestrial habitats, on restoration projects, on population monitoring and trends.
Plenary speaker Roy van Grunsven: From records to conservation
Dragonflies in a changing climate (Host Frank Suhling, Germany)
There is no doubt that various aspects of climate change particularly warming and drought are affecting dragonflies in several ways. In this session we want to explore all aspects of climate change that may affect dragonfly distribution, life cycles, behaviour, species interactions, and community composition. We welcome presentations on field and laboratory studies exploring effects for instance on changes of development and phenology, on interactions between species, or on interactions between warming, drought and other stressors. Also trends in the development of dragonfly populations and major changes in the distribution of species that may be associated with climate change are appreciated. Of special interest is how range expansion and invasion of species caused or supported by climate change may affect the indigenous species and communities of Odonata.
Plenary speaker Frank Johansson: Potential effects of climate change on distribution and ecological interactions in Odonata
Sunday 25th June
15.00 – 20.00 Registration in Neapolis University reception area
18.00 – 20.00 Welcome drinks in the University cafeteria
Monday 26th June
08.00 – 08.45 Registration
08.45 – 09.10 Introductory remarks and introduction of delegates
09.10 – 09.30 Introduction to Cyprus
Rosalyn Sparrow and David J. Sparrow
Session 1: Dragonflies on islands Chair: Jessica Ware
09.30 – 10.10 Plenary lecture: A theory of island odonatography
Andreas Martens
10.10 – 10.30 Dragonflies on oceanic and sky islands face similar challenges
Michael J. Samways, Charl Deacon & James S. Pryke
10.30 – 11.00 Refreshment break
11.00 – 11.20 Interplay between pond size and matrix extent drives dragonfly diversity patterns in a fragmented landscape
Charl Deacon, Michael J. Samways & James S. Pryke
11.20 – 11.40 Phenology of the Odonata of the Maltese Islands
Charles Gauci
11.40 – 12.00 Dragonflies and damselflies of Cyprus: their amazing underwater stages
Christophe Brochard
12.00 – 12.20 Monitoring the dragonflies of Cyprus
David J. Sparrow, Geert De Knijf & Rosalyn Sparrow
12.20 – 13.30 Lunch
Session 2: Biogeography Chair: Vincent Kalkman
13.30 – 14.10 Plenary lecture: Diversity of Nearctic and Palaearctic Dragonflies and Damselflies John C. Abbott, Vincent Kalkman, Cornelio A. Bota-Sierra, Jean-Pierre Boudot, Ryo Futahashi, Enrique GonzálezSoriano, Rodolfo Novelo-Gutiérrez, Robert Guralnick, Seth Bybee, Jessica Ware & Michael W. Belitz
14.10 – 14.30 Historical Biogeography in the Neotropics an overview from the banner-winged and ruby-spot damselflies
Melissa Sanchez Herrera & Samantha Standring
14.30 – 14.50 Timing and direction of faunal exchange between Neartic and Palaeartic in Odonata Maria Pàmies-Harder, Cesc Múrria, John Abbott, Kendra Abbott & Vincent J. Kalkman
14.50 – 15.10 Diversity and distribution patterns of the dragonflies and damselflies of Suriname Karin Verspui, Marcel Wasscher & Peter van Horssen
15.10 – 15.40 Refreshment break
15.40 – 16.00 Annual patterns of emergence and population sizes in Gomphidae: an overview Frank Suhling & Mike Averill
16.00 – 16.20 Status and distribution of Nigerian Odonata from confirmed county-level data for two decades
Ojonugwa Ekpah, Kehinde A. Kemabonta, Sylvester S. Ogbogu, Babasola W. Adu, Azeezat O. Alafia, Bibitayo A. Owolabi & Abiodun M. Adedapo
16.20 – 16.40 Distribution records of Javan endemic Odonata with notes on habitat characteristics for: Heliogomphus drescheri & Rhinocypha heterostigma
Diagal Wisnu Pamungkas, Amelia Nugrahaningrum, Wahyu Sigit Rahadi, Hening Triandika Rachman, Nanang Kamaludin & Frendi Irawan
16.40 – 17.00 Indian Dragonflies (Odonata) with special emphasis on the Doon Valley fauna and conservation
Brij Kishore Tyagi
17.00 – 17.20 Urbanization effects on life history traits in the damselfly Ischnura elegans
Gemma Palomar, Guillaume Wos, Robby Stoks & Szymon Sniegula
17.45 – 19.00 Wine Tasting and student mixer
Tuesday 27th June
08.45 – 09.00 Housekeeping
Session 3: Conservation Chair: Andreas Martens
09.00 – 09.40 Plenary lecture: From records to conservation
Roy van Grunsven
09.40 – 10.20 A new Red List of the dragonflies and damselflies of Europe
Geert De Knijf , Magnus Billqvist, Roy van Grunsven, Florent Prunier & Damjan Vinko
10.20 – 10.40 Northern shift of Odonata and decline of Mediterranean river species in Spain and Portugal
Florent Prunier, Martiño Cabana, Adolfo Cordero-Rivera, Cecilia Díaz-Martínez, Adrià Miralles-Núñez, Pere Luque, Carmen Díaz Paniagua, Albano Soares, Geert De Knijf, Magnus Billqvist, Damjan Vinko & Roy van Grunsven
10.40 – 11.10 Refreshment break
11.10 – 11.30 Using environmental DNA to assess rare dragonflies
Kendra Abbott, Kevin Kocot & John Abbott
11.30 – 11.50 First insight into the DRAGON project: Dragonflies as bellwether for the human impact on interface ecosystems
Martin Jeanmougin, Reto Schmucki & Colin Fontaine
11.50 – 12.10 Sum or mean? Calculation problem of the Dragonfly Biotic Index, and the novel R package for its solution
Hana Šigutová, Petr Pyszko, Veronika Prieložná, Eva Bílková & Aleš Dolný
12.10 – 12.30 Dragonfly diversity patterns at the landscape scale – comparison between urban, agricultural and more natural landscapes
Diana Goertzen
12.30 – 12.50 Post-mining sites as ecological traps for dragonflies
Filip Harabiš , Anna-Marie Poskočilová, Adam Tetaur & Marketa Josková
12.50 Group photograph
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch
Conservation (continued) Chair: Geert De Knijf
14.00 – 14.20 Environmental drivers shaping Odonata assemblages in a Ramsar declared floodplain wetland in South-Eastern Europe
Marina Vilenica, Andreja Brigić, Viktorija Ergović, Miran Koh, Antun Alegro, Vedran Šegota, Anja Rimac, Mario Rumišek & Zlatko Mihaljević
14.20 – 14.40 Population abundance and structure of dragonflies: does concentration of nitrates and orthophosphates matter?
Agnieszka Tańczuk
14.40 – 15.00 Of mice and men
Dušan Šácha
15.00 – 15.20 Peat pools – a rescue wheel for aquatic fauna in drying peatlands, based on the example of dragonflies (Odonata)
Adam Tarkowski
15.20 – 15.40 Conservation of the threatened Lestes macrostigma: from detailed ecology to habitat management and restoration
Philippe Lambret & Robby Stoks
15.40 – 16.10 Refreshment break
16.10 – 17.10 Workshop: Beyond P-value: effect size estimation and visualization with Durga R package
Md Kawsar Khan
17.10 – 18.10 IUCN meeting
Free Evening
Wednesday 28th June
08.45 – 09.00 Housekeeping and briefing for the mid-congress trip
Session 4: Phylogenetics, Systematics and Taxonomy Chair: Steve Jordan
09.00 – 09.40 Ordinal level phylogenomics of Odonata based on anchored hybrid enrichment
Lacie G. Newton, John C. Abbott, Seth M. Bybee, Paul B. Frandsen, Aaron Goodman, Robert Guralnick, Vincent J. Kalkman, Judicael F. Lontchi, Pungki Lupiyanigdyah, Melissa Sanchez-Herrera, Laura Sutherland, Ethan Tolman, Rhema Uche-Dike & Jessica L. Ware
09.40 – 10.00 Evolutionary history and divergence times of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) revealed through transcriptomics
Manpreet Kohli & Jessica Ware
10.00 – 10.20 Mitochondrial DNA markers and their limitations in Odonata research
Stanislav Ožana, Tomáš Pánek & Aleš Dolný
10.20 – 10.40 Systematics of Synthemistidae and Corduliidae (Anisoptera: Libelluloidea)
Aaron Goodman & Jessica Ware
10.40 – 11.10 Refreshment break
11.10 – 11.30 Phylogenomics, population structure and behaviour of Neurocordulia
Jessica L. Ware, Patrick Hulick, Angelo Soto Centeno, Manpreet Kohli & Ethan Tolman
11.30 – 11.50 Assessing and resolving relationships within family Macromiidae using targeted enrichment
Rhema Uche-Dike & Jessica Ware
11.50 – 12.10 New descriptions of Micrathyria venezuelae and Oxyallagma dissidens exuviae Matthias Hartung
12.10 – 12.30 Modelling Past and Present Population Dynamics of the Black Petaltail Dragonfly Ethan Tolman, Christopher D. Beatty, Jonas Bush, Aaron Goodman & Jessica Ware
12.30 – 12.50 The X chromosome of insects predates the origin of Class Insecta
Melissa A. Toups & Beatriz Vicoso
12.50 – 14.00 Lunch
14.00 – 15.00 Poster session
15.00 – 15.30 Refreshment break
15.30 – 17.00 WDA bi-annual meeting
Free Evening
Thursday 29th June
Mid-congress field trip
08.15 Coaches depart from Paphos Garden Hotel
08.30 Coaches depart from Neapolis University
Friday 30th June
08.45 – 09.00 Housekeeping
Session 5: Climate Change Chair: Frank Suhling
09.00 – 09.40 Plenary lecture: Potential effects of climate change on distribution and ecological interactions in Odonata
Frank Johansson
09.40 – 10.00 Development of two common dragonfly species with diverging occupancy trends Jolan Hogreve
10.00 – 10.20 Bivoltinism in the univoltine Lestes sponsa? Possible effect of water management and climate change
Philippe Lambret, Szymon Śniegula & Ulf Norling
10.20 – 10.40 Transcriptomics reveals high phenotypic plasticity of Coenagrion puella to experimentally induced temperature changes
Cesc Múrria, Alba Julià-López, Carla Fernández, Xavier Maynou & Cinta Pegueroles
10.40 – 11.10 Refreshment break
11.10 – 11.30 Climate change impact on damselfly-parasite interactions
Md Kawsar Khan
11.30 – 11.50 Climate stability is a key driver of difference in the global richness of lentic and lotic odonates
Laura A. Mähn, Klaas-Douwe Dijkstra, Christian Hof, Roland Brandl & Stefan Pinkert
11.50 – 12.10 Impacts of climate change on dragonflies and damselflies in West and Central Asia Vincent J. Kalkman, John Cadena & Leon Marschall
Session 6: Ecology and ethology Chair: Klaus-Jürgen Conze
12.10 – 12.50 Plenary lecture: For the love of demoiselles: tips they have taught me for the next generation
Ola M. Fincke
12.50 – 14.00 Lunch
14.00 – 14.40 Ecology, behaviour and speciation in Mnais damselflies
Yoshitaka Tsubaki
14.40 – 15.00 Disentangling the evolution of the metabolic allometry in dragonflies and
damselflies (Odonata)
Daniel Schönberger, Moa Metz & Erik I. Svensson
15.00 – 15.20 Novel hatching cue in the neotropical damselfly Megaloprepus caerulatus: larval adaptation and maternal constraint
Arjèn van’t Hof & Ola M. Fincke
15.20 – 15.40 To hunt or to hide – effects of chemical cannibalistic cues on individual behavior – Ischnura elegans as a model
Monika Sysiak, Matylda Kubiak, Barbara Pietrzak, Anna Bednarska, Andrzej Mikulski
15.40 – 16.10 Refreshment break
16.10 Winding up
An Invitation to ECCO 2024: Florent Prunier
An invitation to ICO 2025: Melissa Sanchez Herrera
Thanks and acknowledgements