The dragonflies in the collection of Sapienza University of Rome

The Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) are key bioindicators of freshwater ecosystem health and are widely used in ecological and conservation research. Historical entomological collections provide a valuable source of biodiversity data, particularly for tracking species distributions over time and detecting environmental changes. The Odonata collection of the Museum of Zoology at Sapienza University of Rome includes 2406 specimens, representing 77 taxa (74 species and three identified at genus level) across 33 genera and 11 families. Most specimens were collected in Italy, with a small subset from other parts of Europe. This collection forms part of the broader entomological heritage of the University and is now being preserved and made accessible for research and public engagement through digitisation and online dissemination initiatives.

This is the first publicly available, digitised dataset of the Odonata collection from the Museum of Zoology at Sapienza University of Rome (MZUR), comprising 2406 specimens. All records have been georeferenced and standardised following the Darwin Core format. The dataset is published on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) under the MZUR institutional profile, significantly increasing its visibility and accessibility. In addition to data publication, the digitisation process included high-resolution photography of specimens and the transcription of original label data. An interactive web-based platform was also developed using Python-based tools, enabling dynamic exploration of the collection and enhancing its use for research, education and outreach.