Agriocnemis keralensis Peters, 1981

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 : 848

Agriocnemis keralensis Peters, 1981 ( Fig.1)

Material examined. India, Karnataka, Udupi, Kudkunde Gorpalli Bridge (13 ° 24΄12.36˝N, 74 ° 49΄15.29˝E, Elevation: 28 m a. s. l.), 2♂, 1♀, 9.06.2022 .

Distribution in India. Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra ( Rangnekar et al. 2010; Nair, Subramanian 2014; Subramanian et al. 2018; Koli et al. 2021), Karnataka (new record)

Diagnosis. In India, genus Agriocnemis is represented by 10 species ( Kalkman et al. 2020; Kalkman 2021). A. pygmaea (Rambur, 1842) ; A. femina (Brauer, 1868) , A. lacteola Selys, 1877 ; A. pieris Laidlaw, 1919 , and A. splendidissima Laidlaw, 1919 can be separated from A. keralensis by lacking the ‘cobra hood’ mark on the dorsum of the second abdominal segment. In A. keralensis , abdominal segments 8–10 bright ochreous and with 5 postocular spots, while in A. clauseni Fraser, 1922 abdominal segment 8 entirely black; in A. dabreui Fraser, 1919 abdominal segment 8 ochreous with anchor shaped mark on dorsum; in A. nana (Laidlaw, 1914) abdominal segment 8 blue with black markings enclosed two blue spots and in closely similar A. kalinga Nair & Subramanian, 2014 abdominal segments 8–10 bright yellow and the occuput has 3 postocular spots ( Nair, Subramanian 2014).

Remarks. A. keralensis was described based on three specimens collected from Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala ( Peters 1981). The damselfly is endemic to the Western Ghats and reported only from the states of Kerala, Goa, and Maharashtra ( Rangnekar et al. 2010; Nair, Subramanian 2014; Koli et al. 2021). Our present record of A. keralensis from Kudkunje Gorpalli Bridge of Udupi ( Fig. 2 ) designates its first record from the state Karnataka. Our record bridges the crucial geographic gap in the distribution of the species. It also provides further opportunity to conduct studies on the geographical distribution and ecology considering its distribution from Maharashtra to Kerala.

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