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New Spreadwing Damselfly Lestes paloti Discovered in Kerala’s Western Ghats
A team of odonatologists discovers a new spreadwing damselfly species from the Western Ghats of Kerala. The species is named Lestes paloti and is recorded from multiple districts in Kerala.
Lestes paloti (New Spreadwing Damselfly):
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | The scientific name is Lestes paloti. |
| Genus | The genus is Lestes, comprising spreadwing damselflies. |
| Discovery location | The species is discovered from the Western Ghats of Kerala. |
| Nomenclature | The nomenclature honours Muhamed Jafer Palot of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). |
| Novelty claims | It is reported as the 1st new Lestes species in the Western Ghats since 1929, and the 1st in India since 1987. |
| Diagnostic morphology | The morphology comprises distinct male anal appendages and secondary genitalia, and is similar to Lestes nodalis and Lestes garoensis. |
| Seasonal colour change | The colouration is brown in the dry season and bluish in the monsoon. |
| Distribution (Kerala districts) | The distribution is recorded in Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad, and Ernakulam districts of Kerala. |
| Habitat | The habitat comprises scrub vegetation around homesteads and laterite hillocks, often away from open water bodies. |