Researchers find two new species of dragonflies in Western Ghat 

Wildlife researchers from Maharashtra and Kerala discovered two new species of dragonflies from Western Ghat. While one species was found in Manjadininnavila village, Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, the second species was discovered in Hadpid village in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. Both species belong to the group of dragonflies known as clubtails (Family Gomphidae). A paper on the same was published in an international journal, Zootaxa on February 14.  

The newly described species are named Dainty Longleg (Merogomphus aryanadensis) and Dark Longleg (Merogomphus flavoreductus). Dark Longleg was found in Maharashtra. It was initially recorded in 2021 from a small stream abutting orchards and forests but was misidentified due to its close morphological resemblance to Malabar Longleg (Merogomphus tamaracherriensis). The specific epithet of the new species points to the reduced yellow markings on its body. 

Dainty Longleg was found in Manjadininnavila, a quaint village in Aryanad grama panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram city. The village adjoins the forests of Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary. It was first photographed in 2020, but due to the high seasonality shown by the species and the presence of elephants in the area, further studies could be done only in 2024. It appears to show high microhabitat specificity, recorded only from small streams shaded by Ochlandra reeds. The species has been named after Aryanad, as a tribute to the rich biodiversity it hosts.  

The species have distinctive anal appendages, genitalia, and subtle differences in body markings that help in separating them from the existing species of the genus Merogomphus. Both these species have a club-like swollen appearance on their abdomen. The researchers have also used genetic data to support the erection of the two taxa as new species. 

The team behind this discovery includes Vivek Chandran and Dr Subin K Jose, both researchers from Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakuda, Reji Chandran, a naturalist from Aryanad, Dr Dattaprasad Sawant and Dr Krushnamegh Kunte, both researchers affiliated to the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, and Pankaj Koparde, a researcher affiliated to MIT World Peace University, Pune.  

Speaking about the importance of the findings, Vivek Chandran, a member of the research team said,” This discovery is significant because dragonflies are relatively well-studied insects and we don’t usually expect to come across undescribed species, especially in the Western Ghats where they have been studied thoroughly from the time of Britishers. Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) are considered bioindicator species because their occurrence signals the environment’s state. Both the species were found outside protected forests, indicating the need to protect habitats outside legally protected areas for biodiversity conservation.”