Home / Environment / New Damselfly Species Discovered in India After Decades
New Damselfly Species Discovered in India After Decades
16 Jul
Summary
- A new damselfly species, Lestes paloti, found in Kerala's Western Ghats.
- This marks India's first new Lestes species in nearly four decades.
- The damselfly inhabits scrub vegetation, not typical water bodies.
A new species of spreadwing damselfly, Lestes paloti, has been identified in the Western Ghats region of Kerala. This discovery is a notable event in odonate taxonomy, as it is the first new species described in the Lestes genus in India since 1987, ending a nearly four-decade hiatus. It is also the first new Lestes species found in the Western Ghats in approximately a century.
The species has been formally described in the International Journal of Odonatology. It was named in honor of Muhamed Jafer Palot, a scientist recognized for his contributions to Indian odonatology. Researchers confirmed its distinctness through examination of male anal appendages and secondary genitalia, distinguishing it from similar species.
Lestes paloti has been documented across several districts in Kerala. Unusually, it prefers scrub vegetation near homes and on laterite hills, rather than open water bodies. This new species, with its cryptic habits and resemblance to others, likely remained undiscovered for a long time. Its presence underscores the rich and still incompletely documented biodiversity of the Western Ghats.
