Researchers have recorded multiple new damselfly species in Kerala’s Western Ghats between 2023 and 2026, including Lestes paloti, Euphaea wayanadensis, Melanoneura agasthyamalaica and Protosticta armageddonia.
New records (2023–2026)
- Lestes paloti: Recorded July 2026 in Kerala; description published in International Journal of Odonatology.
- Euphaea wayanadensis (Wayanad Torrent Dart): Described April 2025 from the Wayanad landscape; recorded in Silent Valley National Park in Oct 2025.
- Melanoneura agasthyamalaica (Agasthyamalai Bambootail): Found Nov 2024 near Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Thiruvananthapuram district.
- Protosticta armageddonia (Armageddon reedtail): Recorded Sep 2023 in the southern Western Ghats northeast of Thiruvananthapuram.
- Protosticta sanguinithorax: Recent record from Kerala surveys (2023–2026).
Odonata classification & habitat
- Order Odonata: Two suborders — Zygoptera (damselflies) and Anisoptera (dragonflies).
- Habitat associations: Forest streams, riparian zones and shaded pools in hill tracts of the Western Ghats.
Taxonomy & identification
- Diagnostic characters: Wing venation, male genitalia and thoracic colouration separate closely related species.
- Methods: Morphology, high-resolution microscopy and molecular analysis (DNA barcoding) are used for species delimitation.
IASPOINT Booster Facts
- Western Ghats status: UNESCO World Heritage site and one of India’s biodiversity hotspots.
- Silent Valley NP: Located in Palakkad district; site of multiple recent odonate records.
- State checklist: Kerala’s odonate species count cited as 191 in April 2025.
- Journals: New odonate descriptions often appear in International Journal of Odonatology and ENTOMON.