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| Martin’s Duskhawker (Anaciaeschna martini) |
Dragonflies & Damselflies belong to the group
called Odonates. These insects are prime ecological indicators. Serious study
of Odonates of the Western Ghats has gained momentum only recently, to be
precise since the early part of the last decade. Apart from the scientific community, citizen
science initiatives are also now on to identify and conserve these little-known
fauna of our region. Thus, it was on the Odonates of Western Ghats Facebook
group discussion between Dr. Kalesh Sadasivan, an avid naturalist from the Travancore
Nature History Society (TNHS), Trivandrum, Kerala and Manoj Sethumadhavan from
the Wynter-Blyth Association (WBA), The Nilgiris, the surprising fact that one species which was
described in 1922 had not been sighted in south India ever since has sprung to
light. The last record of the three species
was by F.C. Fraser in 1933 from Anamalai Hills and another described in 1958
was sighted in Agasthyamalais and Kakkayam.
