Describing species variation and delineation are fundamental to biology and much debate exists surrounding on what applied approach is appropriate. Species delineation now used separate elaborate datasets to quantify independently and test species criteria. However, the complexity of the speciation process has ushered the need to infuse studies with new tools and techniques capable of aiding in species delineation. Herewith, an integrative approach using Correlation Analysis based on Distances was used to circumvent the traditional morphological analysis and provide a novel means of describing closely related complex species (sibling species) diversity using the genus Neurothemis as a case study. Correlation Analysis based on distances proved to be useful by looking into the relative contribution of each trait considered to species/group divergence and distinctiveness. Results demonstrate noted differences between female and male morphs. On one hand, females exhibited female-limited polymorphism which was suggested to have possibly evolved throughout sexual selection. On the other hand, polymorphism being limited to males mostly plays a role in male-male competition for access to females. Differences were attributed mainly by external morphological wing characters such as the fore- wing triangle, hind wing triangle, the radial planate, fore- wing subtriangle, number of anal loop ‘sole cells’, hind wing supertriangle, number of cross veins in the cubital space of the hind wing (behind the median space), wing pigmentation, shape of synthorax, shape of epiproct and shape of left and right cerci. Here, the utilization of a number of characters for species delineation proved to be effective in understanding variation and the nature of the Neurothemis species found in Iligan City.
