Gynacantha khasiaca MacLachlan, 1896

Payra, Arajush, Deshpande, Ameya & Koparde, Pankaj, 2023, New spatial records of three Odonata species from the Western Ghats, India (Coenagrionidae, Aeshnidae), Amurian Zoological Journal XV (4), pp. 847-853 : 850-851

Gynacantha khasiaca MacLachlan, 1896 (Fig. 4)

Material examined. India, Maharashtra, Raigad ,KarnalaBirdSanctury(18 ° 53΄30.52˝N, 73 ° 6΄47.74˝E, Elevation: 74 m a. s. l.), 4♂, 3♀, 22.11.2022 .

Distribution in India. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, West Bengal ( Fraser 1936; Mitra 2002; Payra et al. 2017; Mujumdar et al. 2020; Koli et al. 2021; Singh 2022)

Distribution elsewhere. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal ( Khan 2015; Koli et al. 2021)

Diagnosis. In India, the genus Gynacantha is represented by 15 species ( Sawant, Kambli 2023). G. khasiaca can easily be separated from its Indian congeners by having a long epiproct, more than half the length of cerci, and two lateral blackish brown stripes on each side of synthorax. G. khasiaca is closely similar to G. cattienensis Kompier & Holden, 2017 (which is confined to Vietnam), but can be distinguished by having lateral blackish brown stripes on synthorax (stripes absent in G. cattiensis ) and a rounded auricle (slen- der auricle in G. cattiensis ) ( Kompier, Holden 2017).

Remarks. In India, the hitherto published records show that G. khasiaca was mainly confined to Eastern and Northeastern India ( Fraser 1936; Mitra 2002; Payra et al. 2017). Recently, Mujumdar et al. (2020) reported Gynacantha cf. khasiaca from Thakurwadi wetland of Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra. Later, Koli et al. (2021) recorded the species from Majgaon of Sindhudurg District and confirmed its presence in the state of Maharashtra, as well as in the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot. Our present record from Karnala Bird Sanctuary ( Fig. 2 ) represents the northernmost locality of this species in the Western Ghats and is located about 350 km (aerial distance) north from its previously known nearest locality of Majgaon, Sindhudurg District. Our record is the third in a row, indicating the presence of the species in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra State. The observation of egg laying by one female individual at the muddy edges of water pool also suggests that the species is breeding in the Karnala Bird Sanctuary. Moreover, our record opens up a new avenue for future researchers to understand the biology of G. khasiaca in Maharashtra State. Our record is also suggestive of possibilities of disjoint populations of the species in Maharashtra and Eastern and Northeastern India as well as the possibility of undiscovered populations present in the intervening areas. We recommend that future research on the species should focus on its ecology and migration and aim at discovering new populations.

Figures

Fig. 2. Map showing the locality records of A. keralensis (AK), P. spencei (PS) and G. khasiaca (GK) in the Western Ghats, India Рис. 2. Карта с указанием местонахожΑений A. keralensis (AK), P.spencei (PS) и G. khasiaca (GK) в ЗапаΑных Гатах, ИнΑия