Why in news? 

Dragonfly enthusiasts have recorded the presence of a rare dragonfly that was hitherto unseen in Kerala.

Highlights

• Spiny Horntail discovered in Kottiyoor forests of Kannur
• Spiny Horntail, Burmagomphus chaukulensis Joshi, Ogale & Sawant, 2022 (or B. chaukulensis), during a recent expedition to the Kottiyoor forests of Kannur. The species that is known to be endemic to the Western Ghats was discovered in Maharashtra earlier this year.
• Researchers Shantanu Joshi, Dattaprasad Sawant and Hemant Ogale had spotted the species from Chaukul in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. Prior to their finding, the dragonfly genus Burmagomphus was represented by three species – B. cauvericus, B. pyramidalis and B. laidlawi.

Distribution:

• While B. laidlawi is found throughout the Western Ghats, B. cauvericus is more restricted in its distribution. B. pyramidalis is found in the Western Ghats as well as in Peninsular India. All other species of the genus are found in the Western and Eastern Himalayas.
• The new species can be separated from its congeners by the markings on the lateral thorax and peculiar shape of anal appendages

• 181 odonata species have been recorded in Kerala. The addition of B. chaukulensis will take the count to 182.