New Damselfly Species Found in Kerala’s Western Ghats

A team of odonatologists has discovered a new species of spreadwing damselfly in the Western Ghats of Kerala. Named Lestes paloti, the discovery has been published in the International Journal of Odonatology.

The new species is the first in the genus Lestes to be described from India in nearly 40 years. The last one, Lestes garoensis, was documented in 1987.

It is also the first Lestes species recorded from the Western Ghats since Lestes malabaricus in 1929. That makes this the first addition to the region’s spreadwing damselflies in almost a century.

Researchers say such long gaps are rare in insect taxonomy. The finding highlights the biodiversity of the Western Ghats and adds an important record to India’s dragonfly and damselfly list.