Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 July 2021 | 13(8): 19125–19136

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7311.13.8.19125-19136

#7311 | Received 06 April 2021 | Final received 11 May 2021 | Finally accepted 26 June 2021

A preliminary checklist of dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Vakkom Grama Panchayath, Thiruvanthapuram District, Kerala, India

J. Arunima ¹ & P.O. Nameer ²

^1,2 Centre for Wildlife Studies, College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, Kerala 680656, India.

¹ arunima.bindhu@gmail.com, ² nameer.po@kau.in (corresponding author)

Editor: K.A. Subramanian, Zoological Survey of India, Chennai, India. Date of publication: 26 July 2021 (online & print)

Citation: Arunima, J. & P.O. Nameer (2021). A preliminary checklist of dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Vakkom Grama Panchayath, Thiruvanthapuram District, Kerala, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(8): 19125–19136. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7311.13.8.19125-19136

Copyright: © Arunima & Nameer 2021. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

Funding: Kerala Agricultural University.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Acknowledgements: We thank Jeevan Jose, David Raju, and Vivek Chandran, for confirming with the identification of odonates. We also thank Priya Titus, Jincy Justin J.K., Adarsh C.K., Sachin K. Aravind, and Sarath S., College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University for their encouragement and support. The authors thank the three anonymous reviewers and the subject editor for their critical comments which greatly improved the manuscript. We thank Radhakrishnan P for helping with the preperation of the map.

Abstract: A one-year study was conducted at Vakkom Grama Panchayath, Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala, to assess the diversity of odonates. We report 49 species, which include 31 species of Anisoptera (dragonflies) and 18 species of Zygoptera (damselflies). Among dragonflies, the family Libellulidae dominated with 26 species, while Coenagrionidae with 10 species was the dominant family among the damselflies. The odonate diversity of Vakkom Grama Panchayath accounted for 28% of the odonates in Kerala and 25% of the odonates of the Western Ghats. Vakkom Grama Panchayath also recorded the presence of Mortonagrion varralli which is an uncommon species in Kerala. This study provides some important baseline information on the odonates of one of the grama panchayaths in Kerala, India. An updated checklist of 57 species of odonates of Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala is also provided.

Keywords: Biodiversity register, Biological Diversity Act, odonates.

Dragonflies and damselflies constitute an order of carnivorous insects. They are treated as an important component of aquatic ecosystems as well as biological indicators of environmental conditions (Clark & Samways 1996; Samways et al. 2010). There are 497 species of odonates in 154 genera and 18 families recorded from India (Joshi & Sawant 2020; Kalkman et al. 2020; Payra et al. 2020; Subramaniyan & Babu 2017, 2020); 196 species in 14 families and 83 genera have been documented from the Western Ghats (Subramanian et al. 2018); and 175 species from Kerala to date (Society for Odonate Studies 2021).

The studies on the odonates from human-dominated landscapes from Kerala part include Peter (1981) who reported 26 species of odonates from the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, which was later updated by Emiliyamma & Radhakrishnan (2002) to 43 species. Emiliyamma (2005) recorded 31 species of odonates from Kottayam district, Kerala. Adarsh et al. (2014) reported 52 species of odonates from Kerala Agricultural University campus, Thrissur, Kerala and Chandran et al. (2021) reported 44 species of odonates from the Kole Wetlands in Thrissur and Malappuram districts, Kerala.

Documentation of regional biodiversity is important for the long-term conservation and management of different taxa. Thus, a study was conducted at Vakkom Grama Panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala, southern India from November 2018 to December 2019, and the results of the same are presented here.    

Study Area

The Vakkom Grama Panchayath (VGP) is located 35 km north of Thiruvananthapuram city, in Chirayinkeezhu Taluk (Figure 1). It is located between 8.69^oN & 76.77^oE and has a total area of 5.36 km². VGP is surrounded by backwaters and is an islet laced by Parvathiputhanar (ar= river) and Anchuthengu Kayal (kayal= backwater). The study area is enriched with various aquatic habitats like lakes, ponds, marshes, and backwaters.

Methods

The odonates of VGP were studied between November 2018 and December 2019. The visual encounter survey method was followed and most of the taxa were photo-documented. The major aquatic habitats of the VGP are ponds, backwaters, canals, and paddy fields. The study sites were visited at least once a month and the survey was undertaken for two hours in the morning and one hour in the evening. The odonates were identified using the field guides such as Subramanian (2009) and Kiran & Raju (2013). Taxonomy and nomenclature have been updated after Kalkman et al. (2020). Based on the frequency of sighting the odonates it was categorized as Very Common (VC) when they were sighted during 75–100% of the field outings, Common (CO) when the sighting was between 50–75%, Occasional (OC) when the sighting was only 25–50%, and Rare (RA) when the sighting was below 25%. The study period was categorised into three different seasons such as summer (February–May), monsoon (June–September), and post monsoon (October–January). 

Results

A total of 49 species of odonates (18 species of damselflies and 31 species of dragonflies) belonging to eight families were recorded from VGP (Table 1). Family Libellulidae (26 spp.) dominated among the Anisoptera followed by Aeshnidae (3) and Gomphidae (2). Among Zygoptera, the dominant family was Coenagrionidae (10 spp.) followed by Lestidae (3), Calopterygidae (2), Platycnemididae (2), and Chlorocyphidae (1). The family-wise distribution of species is shown in Figures 2 & 3. Libellulidae (26) and Coenagrionidae (11) are two dominant families of Odonates at VGP.

The occurrence data during the study period shows that out of 49 species, six were found to be Very Common, 19 species were Common, 16 species found to be Occasional, while eight species were Rare. Among Zygoptera, Agriocnemis pygmaea (Rambur, 1842) and Pseudagrion microcephalum (Rambur, 1842) were the most common species, whereas Neurothemis tullia (Drury, 1773) and Bradinopyga geminata (Rambur, 1842) were the most common species among Anisoptera. Monsoon season recorded the maximum number of species during the present study (Figure 4). Common species like Neurothemis tullia (Drury, 1773) and Bradinopyga geminata (Rambur, 1842) were found in almost all months during the study period. An updated checklist of 57 species of odonates of the Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala is also presented in Table 1.

Discussion

The current study on odonates of VGP revealed the presence of 49 species which constitute 28.65% of the total species of odonates of Kerala state. The VGP reports 15 additional species of odonates than the previously known from the Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala (Emiliyamma & Radhakrishnan 2002), however eight species previously reported from Thiruvananthapuram district could not be located from VGP. It is also interesting to note that a small grama panchayath (5.6 km²) supports a high diversity of odonates.

Conclusion

This documentation becomes important in the light of the national Biological Diversity Act (2002) of the Government of India, and one of the mandates of which is the preparation of the local biodiversity registers at the Panchayath level across the country. The information gathered as part of this study could be useful in this backdrop and could even ensure the long-term conservation of these little-known taxa. 

Table 1. The checklist of odonates of Vakkam Grama Panchayath, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and an updated checklist of odonates of Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala.

	Common name	Family/Scientific name	Relative frequency class	IUCN Red List status	Image no.	Remarks
	ORDER ZYGOPTERA (DAMSELFLIES)
	Spread Wing	Family Lestidae
1	Emerald Spreadwing	Lestes elatus Hagen in Selys, 1862	OC	LC		***
2	Sapphire-eyed Spreadwing	Lestes praemorsus Hagen in Selys, 1862	OC	LC	1	**
3	Brown Spreadwing	Lestes concinnus Hagen in Selys, 1862	R	DD	2	**
	Glories	Family Calopterygidae
4	Black-tipped Forest Glory	Vestalis apicalis Selys, 1873	OC	LC	3	***
5	Clear-winged Forest Glory	Vestalis gracilis (Rambur, 1842)	OC	LC	4	***
	Stream jewels	Family Chlorocyphidae
6	Stream Ruby	Heliocypha bisignata (Hagen in Selys, 1853)		LC		*
7	Southern Heliodor	Libellago indica (Fraser, 1928)	R	NE	5	**
	Bush darts	Family Platycneminidae
8	Wayand Bambootail	Caconeura risi (Fraser, 1931)		DD		*
9	Yellow Bush Dart	Copera marginipes (Rambur, 1842)	CO	LC		***
10	Blue Bush Dart	Copera vittata (Selys, 1863)	CO	LC		***
11	Black Bambootail	Prodasineura verticalis (Selys, 1860)				*
	Marsh Darts	Family Coenagrionidae
12	Green-Striped Slender Dartlet	Aciagrion occidentale Laidlaw 1919	OC	LC	6	***
13	White Dartlet	Agriocnemis pieris Laidlaw, 1919	OC	LC	7	**
14	Pigmy Dartlet	Agriocnemis pygmaea (Rambur, 1842)	VC	LC	8	***
15	Kerala Dartlet	Agriocnemis keralensis Peters, 1981		LC		*
16	Splendid Dartlet	Agriocnemis splendidissima Laidlaw, 1919		LC		*
17	Orange-tailed Marsh Dart	Ceriagrion cerinorubellum (Brauer, 1865)	CO	LC	9	***
18	Coromandel Marsh Dart	Ceriagrion coromandelianum (Fabricius, 1798)	CO	LC	10	***
19	Orange Marsh Dart	Ceriagrion rubiae Laidlaw, 1916	OC	LC		**
20	Golden Dartlet	Ischnura rubilio Selys, 1876	OC	LC	11	***
21	Senegal Golden Dartlet	Ischnura senegalensis (Rambur, 1842)	CO	LC	12	***
22	Brown Dartlet	Mortonagrion varralli Fraser, 1920	OC	DD	13	***
23	Jungle Grass Dart	Pseudagrion malabaricum Fraser, 1924		LC		*
24	Blue Grass Dart	Pseudagrion microcephalum (Rambur, 1842)	VC	LC	14	**
25	Saffron-faced Grass Dart	Pseudagrion rubriceps Selys, 1876				*
	ORDER ANISOPTERA (DRAGONFLIES)
	Darners	Family Aeshnidae
26	Pale-spotted Emperor	Anax guttatus (Burmeister, 1839)	OC	LC	15	**
27	Blue Darner	Anax immaculifrons Rambur, 1842	R	LC		**
28	Brown Darner	Gynacantha dravida Lieftinck, 1960	CO	DD		**
	Clubtails	Family Gomphidae
29	Common Clubtail	Ictinogomphus rapax (Rambur, 1842)	CO	LC	16	**
30	Common Hooktail	Paragomphus lineatus (Selys, 1850)	R	LC		**
	Skimmers	Family Libellulidae
31	Trumpet Tail	Acisoma panorpoides Rambur, 1842	CO	LC	17	***
32	Scarlet Marsh Hawk	Aethriamanta brevipennis (Rambur, 1842)	R	LC	18	***
33	Rufous-backed Marsh Hawk	Brachydiplax chalybea Brauer, 1868	CO	LC	19	***
34	Little Blue Marsh Hawk	Brachydiplax sobrina (Rambur, 1842)	OC	LC		**
35	Ditch jewel	Brachythemis contaminata (Fabricius, 1793)	CO	LC	20	***
36	Granite Ghost	Bradinopyga geminata (Rambur, 1842)	VC	LC	21	***
37	Ruddy Marsh Skimmer	Crocothemis servilia (Drury, 1773)	CO	LC	22	***
38	Ground Skimmer	Diplacodes trivialis (Rambur, 1842)	VC	LC	23	***
39	Amber-winged Marsh Glider	Hydrobasileus croceus (Brauer, 1867)	R	LC	24	**
40	Asiatic Blood-tail	Lathrecista asiatica (Fabricius, 1798)	R	LC	25	***
41	Fulvous Forest Skimmer	Neurothemis fulvia (Drury, 1773)	R	LC	26	**
42	Pied Paddy Skimmer	Neurothemis tullia (Drury, 1773)	VC	LC	27	***
43	Brown-backed Red Marsh Hawk	Orthetrum chrysis (Selys, 1891)	VC	LC	28,29	***
44	Tri-coloured Marsh Hawk	Orthetrum luzonicum (Brauer, 1868)	OC	LC	30	***
45	Crimson-tailed Marsh Hawk	Orthetrum pruinosum (Burmeister, 1839)	CO	LC	31	***
46	Green Marsh Hawk	Orthetrum sabina (Drury, 1770)	CO	LC	32	***
47	Wandering Glider	Pantala flavescens (Fabricius, 1798)	CO	LC	33	***
48	Yellow-tailed Ashy Skimmer	Potamarcha congener (Rambur, 1842)	OC	LC	34	***
49	Rufous Marsh Glider	Rhodothemis rufa (Rambur, 1842)	OC	LC	35	***
50	Common Picture Wing	Rhyothemis variegata (Linnaeus, 1763)	CO	LC	36	***
51	Coral-tailed Cloud Wing	Tholymis tillarga (Fabricius, 1798)	CO	LC	37	***
52	Black Marsh Glider	Tramea limbata (Desjardins, 1832)	OC	LC		***
53	Crimson Marsh Glider	Trithemis aurora (Burmeister, 1839)	CO	LC	38	***
54	Black Stream Glider	Trithemis festiva (Rambur, 1842)	OC	LC	39	***
55	Long-legged Marsh Glider	Trithemis pallidinervis (Kirby, 1889)		LC		*
56	Greater Crimson Glider	Urothemis signata (Rambur,1842)	CO	LC	40	**
57	Brown Dusk Hawk	Zyxomma petiolatum (Rambur, 1842)	CO	LC		***

LC—Least concern | NE—Not Evaluated | DD—Data Deficient | VC—Very common | CO—Common | OC—Occasional | R—Rare | *—Species listed in Emiliyamma & Radhakrishnan (2002) but not sighted from Vakkom GP | **—Addition to the odonates of Thiruvananthapuram district recorded during the present study | ***—Odonate species that are common in both checklists.

For figures & images - - click here

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