A new kind of dragonfly, Lyriothemis Abrahami, discovered from Western Ghats in Kerala. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A new kind of dragonfly, lyriothemis Abrahami, which was previously incorrectly identified as a lyriothemis flava due to surface similarity, was officially documented after more than decades of careful field work, larval breeding and scientific review of scientists from Travancore Nature Society (TNHS), zoos and Institute and Institute Institute and Institute and Institute and Institute and Institute and Institute and Institute, and Institute and Institute and Institute and Institute and Institute, and Institute and Institute and Institute, and Institute and Institute and Institute and Institute and Institute and Institute and Institute and Institute and Institute and Institute, and Institute and Institute. Protection.
The discovery published in Entomon, after five strict rounds of Peer Review, represents the main milestone in the dragon taxonomy in India and emphasizes the ecological importance of Western Ghats. The discovery honors Abraham Samuel, a pioneer in donatology.
Kalesh Sadasivan, Director, TNHS, said the first tracks appeared in May 2013 during the trek of scientists, including him, TNHS director Jayakumar K., late Kiran CG and K. Baiju, in the forests of the then Mala. Due to its different features, the dragonfly, which guarded a hole in the tree.
He said that despite photographic evidence and parallel observation in Thisthekad and North Kerala, the team refrained the publication of their findings from respect for the current efforts of other scientists. Then a single sample with a late Kiran, whose death led to the loss of the initial sample, was removed.
Seen four times
Sadasivan said that in 2013 and 2025 the species was seen only four times in Ponmudi, Kallar, Neyyar and Peppar Wildlife Sanctuary. “The reality of observations challenges the distinctity of the species,” he said.
He said that the breakthrough came in 2022, when the field ecologist Jebin Jose located the larvae in a hole in the tree, allowing the team to start breeding a species on the homestead under controlled conditions. For a taxonomic description, however, adults failed to exhibit adult laboratories, said Mr. Sadasivan. The last success came in 2025, when four adults were collected, one of the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary in Kannura and three of Ponmudi in Thiruvananthapurama.
Distribution
He said that the species kept in small water pools in tree openings and shows a strong dimorphism, with men having uniquely shaped Halules and women depicting jet black bodies with yellow triangular spots. Its distribution was situated from the lowland rainforests of evergreen and deciduous forests between 50 and 1,100 m above sea level.
The findings increased the number of keral odonate species to 191, including 78 endemic species, said Vinayan Padmanabhan Nair, a co -author, emphasizing the importance of the global biological diversity of Western Ghats.
The study also underlines the importance of preserving forest micro -bacitates, such as trees, which serve as critical places for breeding for L. Abraham. Mr. Jose described Dragonfly an indicator of forest health and emphasized the wider environmental benefits to protect habitats.
The research team plans further studies on larvae biology and evolutionary relationships of the species.
Published – 20 July 2025 17:29
