OdoBD: An online database for the dragonflies and damselflies of Bangladesh

Combining scientific data over a long-time period is necessary for
generating large-scale datasets, which are an essential component of
comparative analysis for understanding evolutionary processes.
Furthermore, monitoring temporal and spatial distributions of animals at a
global and regional scale is essential for studying climate change driven
extinction risks. Regional and global datasets focusing on different
animal groups are on the rise to meet such challenges. Although being one
of the earliest and best-known insect groups, the data on Odonata remains
rudimentary and dispersed, especially in the South Asian region.
Bangladesh, being located within a biodiversity hotspot, possesses a large
number of odonate species and many of them are endemic to the South Asian
region. We have developed an online database for the Odonata of Bangladesh
by compiling and digitizing data from our last four years of field
studies, from previously published research articles and field guides, and
also by collecting data from citizen scientists. The Odonata of Bangladesh
database (accessible at http://www.odobd.org) contains phenotypic,
genotypic, photographic, taxonomic, biogeographic and faunistic data of
the Odonata of Bangladesh. The database will be a valuable resource for
understanding diversity, distributions, extinction risks and conservation
planning of the Odonata of Bangladesh. Finally, phenotypic, spatial and
temporal data of Odonata of Bangladesh datasets can be integrated with
other regional datasets for analyzing macroevolutionary trends and to
monitor the effect of climate change on odonates.