New species of damselfly discovered at Manjadininnavila in Kerala

THRISSUR: A group of researchers from the state and outside has discovered a new species of damselfly from Manjadininnavila in Thiruvananthapuram district. The only other species in this genus is the Malabar Bambootail that is found in the Coorg-Wayanad landscape of the Ghats,” said Vivek Chandran, one of the team members. The new species differs from the Malabar Bambootail in the structure of prothorax, anal appendages and secondary genitalia,” he added. The research team that discovered the rare species includes Vivek Chandran and Dr Subin K Jose of Christ College, Irinjalakuda, Reji Chandran of the Society for Odonate Studies, and Dr Pankaj Koparde and Arajush Payra of MIT World Peace University, Pune. “The Agasthyamalai Bambootail was first observed in the small streams flowing through homeyards into the Karamana River, an ecosystem outside the reserve forest.