Description of Protosticta sexcolorata sp. nov. (Odonata, Platystictidae) from the Western Ghats, India

Abstract

Protosticta Selys, 1885 is a speciose genus of damselflies distributed in the tropical and subtropical forests of Asia. During an ongoing study to document the odonate diversity of the Western Ghats, we came across a colony of Protosticta species in Wayanad, Kerala, that appeared different from all other species hitherto described. We describe this population as a new species after detailed morphological comparison with closely similar species occurring in the region.

Keywords

• biodiversity
• endemic
• shadowdamsel
• taxonomy
• Zygoptera