''Agriocnemis keralensis'',
Kerala dartlet,
[ is a species of ]damselfly
Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along ...
in the family Coenagrionidae
The insect family Coenagrionidae is placed in the order Odonata and the suborder Zygoptera.
The Zygoptera are the damselflies, which although less known than the dragonflies, are no less common. More than 1,300 species are in this family, making i ...
. It is endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to Western Ghats in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
Description and habitat
It is a small damselfly, known to occur only in Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
and Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
. Due to the small size of this species and its close morphological similarities with ''Agriocnemis pygmaea
''Agriocnemis pygmaea'' (pygmy wisp) is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae.
It is also known as wandering midget, pygmy dartlet or wandering wisp. It is well distributed across Asia and parts of Australia.
Description and habita ...
'', it can be easily overlooked in the field. It is a small damselfly with brown capped green eyes, black thorax with apple green stripes on lateral sides and reddish abdomen with black marks. The segment 2 of the abdomen has a distinct "cobra's hood" mark on dorsum. The abdomen of the female is apple green with black marks. Commonly found on the grass on the bank of weedy ponds close to paddy fields, lakes and small streams.
See also
* List of odonates of India
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
* List of odonata of Kerala
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2670372
Coenagrionidae
Insects of India
Insects described in 1981