taxonID	type	description	language	source
BB6A87880C4C6632FF0D51D7FCFDFE15.taxon	materials_examined	1 ♂ (IBC-BN 222), Papdi, Nene village, Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India (15.9246 ° N, 70.0242 ° E, 776 m a. s. l.), 4. vi. 2021, Hemant Ogale leg. 1 ♂ (WGODO- 101), Satara, Satara District, Maharashtra, India (17.3858 ° N, 77.9966 ° E, 420 m a. s. l.), 26. ix. 2021, Arajush Payara and Ameya Deshpande leg.	en	Chandran, Ayikkara Vivek, Sawant, Dattaprasad, Chandran, Reji, Koparde, Pankaj, Jose, Subin Kaniyamattathil, Kunte, Krushnamegh (2025): Two new species of Merogomphus Martin, 1904 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa 5588 (2): 201-226, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5588.2.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5360.3.8
BB6A87880C4C6632FF0D50BFFC1FFDFD.taxon	materials_examined	1 ♂ (WGODO- 176), Nellimoodu, Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala, India (8.3734 ° N, 77.0430 ° E, 60 m a. s. l.), 6. vi. 2022, Arajush Payara and Ameya Deshpande leg. 1 ♂ (IBC-CD 225), Manjadininnavila, Aryanad Grama Panchayat, Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala, India (8.6195 ° N, 77.1058 ° E, 115 m a. s. l.), 14. viii. 2024, A. Vivek Chandran leg.	en	Chandran, Ayikkara Vivek, Sawant, Dattaprasad, Chandran, Reji, Koparde, Pankaj, Jose, Subin Kaniyamattathil, Kunte, Krushnamegh (2025): Two new species of Merogomphus Martin, 1904 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa 5588 (2): 201-226, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5588.2.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5360.3.8
BB6A87880C4C6638FF0D53F3FBCCF910.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype. 1 ♂ (IBC-CD 221), Manjadininnavila, Aryanad Grama Panchayat, Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala, India (8.6195 ° N, 77.1058 ° E, 115 m a. s. l.), 13. viii. 2024, A. Vivek Chandran leg. Paratypes. 1 ♂ (IBC-CD 222), the location, date of collection, and collector the same as for the holotype. 1 ♀ (IBC-CD 223), the location and collector the same as for the holotype, 14. viii. 2024.	en	Chandran, Ayikkara Vivek, Sawant, Dattaprasad, Chandran, Reji, Koparde, Pankaj, Jose, Subin Kaniyamattathil, Kunte, Krushnamegh (2025): Two new species of Merogomphus Martin, 1904 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa 5588 (2): 201-226, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5588.2.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5360.3.8
BB6A87880C4C6638FF0D53F3FBCCF910.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The species epithet is derived from the type locality (adjective in genitive). Proposed English name. Dainty Longleg. Specific name is given based on its relatively small size. ‘ Longleg’ is the common name proposed for the genus based on the characteristic long hind femora.	en	Chandran, Ayikkara Vivek, Sawant, Dattaprasad, Chandran, Reji, Koparde, Pankaj, Jose, Subin Kaniyamattathil, Kunte, Krushnamegh (2025): Two new species of Merogomphus Martin, 1904 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa 5588 (2): 201-226, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5588.2.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5360.3.8
BB6A87880C4C6638FF0D53F3FBCCF910.taxon	description	Description of holotype IBC-CD 221 (Figs. 1 – 2). In life, black with citron-yellow markings. Post-mortem, the markings became greenish yellow. Head (Fig. 1 a – c). In life, eyes grass green, post-mortem yellow green. Head black; labium, labrum, mandibles, clypeus, antefrons black, crest of postfrons has a narrow yellow band. From above, this band has a black incursion shaped like a curly bracket. Scape and pedicel of antennae black, flagellum brown. Median ocellus oval and larger than lateral rounded ocelli. Occiput black, behind head yellow. Thorax. Prothorax (Fig. 1 b – c). Black with yellow spots on the middle lobe, a triangular pair very close to each other medially, a small elliptical pair on the anterior protuberances, and large oval ones laterally. Pterothorax (Fig. 1 d – e). Black marked with yellow as follow: mesothoracic collar with a wide gap in between; very narrow antehumeral stripes diverging anteriorly from mid-dorsal carina; a large stripe on mesepimeron; a thinner, less conspicuous stripe on metepisternum that begins as a rounded spot connected to the main stripe by a thin line, and extends to the coxa of hindleg; a large stripe on metepimeron almost fully covering it. Legs. Black; hindlegs are exceptionally long, each femur of hindleg bears 5 prominent spines along with numerous fine spines; rest all legs bear small spines; citron yellow markings on flexor surface of foreleg femora. Wings (Fig. 1 f). Hyaline, tinted brown throughout. Bases tinted brown. Pt black, long, covering 4.5 cells in FW and 5 cells in HW. Crossveins below subcosta 14 in FW and 12 in HW. Cubito-anal space with one crossvein. Anal triangle three celled with a squarish central cell. Anal loop absent. Discoidal field commencing with two cells in both FW and HW. Ax 14 in both FW, 10 in left HW, 11 in right HW. Px 11 in both FW, 12 in both HW. Abdomen. Black with citron yellow markings as follows: S 1 with a mid-dorsal triangular spot extending anteriorly as a thin line, a large oval spot covering three-quarters of the segment ventrolaterally; S 2 with a wavy mid-dorsal stripe from base not reaching the apex, a large, irregular spot ventrolaterally covering three-quarters of the segment; S 3 – 6 with paired mid-dorsal spots, larger and joined in S 3 only, these spots extending laterally to form rings at the base of the segments; S 7 with a broad basal ring covering almost one-quarter of it with a small, mid-dorsal extension towards the apex; S 8 very broad with a small, mid-dorsal oval spot at base with a sharp tip produced towards the apex; S 9 and S 10 unmarked. Accessory genitalia (Figs. 1 g – h, 2 a – c). Lamina depressed, auricles round, yellow, with tiny black spines at posterior ends. Anterior hamuli black, short, broad at base and hooked at the apex; posterior hamuli black, long, broad at base, become broader and curve inside at the middle, and taper to hook-like tips. Vesica spermalis blackish brown, proximal segment funnel shaped, middle segment broad with a dorsal spine, distal segment produced into two thin, curving, white filaments turning brown towards their apices and ending with transparent tips. Genital lobe black and cylindrical. Caudal appendages (Fig. 2 d – f). Cerci slightly longer than S 10, lyrate, yellowish white, with short, blunt spines with a pointed beak at the middle, fumed black from base to its three-quarters, end with sharp tips pointing outwards parallelly, covered with small, brown hairs. Epiproct 1 / 3 rd the length of cerci, blackish brown, rectangular, curved outwards at the ends; in lateral view, it ends with a short spine towards the cerci. Measurements. Abdomen without appendages 38; HW 33.5; total length 50. Variation in paratype male IBC-CD 223 (Figs. 3 – 4). Presumably a younger male as indicated by brighter yellow markings and hyaline wings without brown tint (Fig. 3 c, g). Pt reddish brown. Only 1 / 3 rd of cerci fumed black from the base dorsally (Fig. 4 c – d). Crossveins below subcosta 16 in FW and 13 in HW (Fig. 3 c, g). Ax 14 in left FW, 13 in right FW; Px 10 in both HW (Fig. 3 c, g). Measurements. Abdomen without appendages 38.5; HW 33; total length 50. Description of paratype female IBC-CD 222 (Figs. 5 – 6). In life, black with bright citron yellow markings. Post-mortem, the yellow faded only a little. Head (Fig. 5 a – b, d). Eyes bottle green in life, fades to khaki post-mortem. Head similar to male except for a narrow yellow band on the crest of frons. Back of head yellow. Thorax. Prothorax (Fig. 5 b, d). Black marked with yellow spots as in male, the medial markings more rounded. Pterothorax (Fig. 5 e – f). Black marked with yellow as in male, but the stripe on metepisternum broken into three- a rounded spot near the wings, a broad stripe in the middle, and a short wavy stripe that extends to the coxa of hindleg. Legs as in male, femora of forelegs with citron yellow stripes on flexor surface; hind femora longer than in male. Wings. (Figs. 5 c, 6 a). Hyaline, bases tinted brown. Pt reddish brown, covering 5.5 cells in FW and 6 cells in HW. Crossveins below subcosta 17 in both FW, 11 in left HW, 12 in right HW. One crossvein in cubito-anal space. Ax 19 in left FW, 18 in right FW, 12 in both HW. Px 14 in left FW, 12 in right FW, 11 in both HW. Abdomen. (Fig. 5 c). Black with citron yellow markings as follows: S 1 with a mid-dorsal oval spot with flat border towards the apex and produced into a small blunt tip towards the base, a large oval spot covering three-quarters of the segment ventrolaterally; S 2 with a wavy mid-dorsal stripe beginning at the base, not reaching the apex, a large, irregular spot ventrolaterally covering three-quarters of the segment; S 3 – 6 with paired mid-dorsal spots, larger on S 3, but all separated, these spots extending laterally to form rings at the base of the segments; S 3 also has a ventrolateral stripe near its apex; S 7 with a broad basal ring covering one-quarter of it with a small, mid-dorsal extension towards the apex; S 8 broad with a basal ring on the dorsum, a small, mid-dorsal oval spot at base with a sharp tip produced towards the apex; S 9 and S 10 unmarked. Caudal appendages. (Fig. 6 b – d). Cerci slightly longer than S 10, white in life, yellowish post-mortem, conical, with small, light brown hairs. Vulvar scale conical, with a notch at the middle that begins broadly and ends sharply. Measurements. Abdomen without appendages 39; HW 34.5; total length 53.5.	en	Chandran, Ayikkara Vivek, Sawant, Dattaprasad, Chandran, Reji, Koparde, Pankaj, Jose, Subin Kaniyamattathil, Kunte, Krushnamegh (2025): Two new species of Merogomphus Martin, 1904 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa 5588 (2): 201-226, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5588.2.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5360.3.8
BB6A87880C466626FF0D57D4FEEBFD84.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype. 1 ♂ (IBC-CD 337), Hadpid, Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India (16.3848 ° N, 73.6249 ° E; 80 m a. s. l.), 16. viii. 2024, Dattaprasad Sawant leg. Paratypes. 1 ♀ (IBC-CD 347) location, collector same as holotype, 4. ix. 2024; 1 ♀ (IBC-CD 348) location, collector same as holotype, 6. ix. 2024.	en	Chandran, Ayikkara Vivek, Sawant, Dattaprasad, Chandran, Reji, Koparde, Pankaj, Jose, Subin Kaniyamattathil, Kunte, Krushnamegh (2025): Two new species of Merogomphus Martin, 1904 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa 5588 (2): 201-226, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5588.2.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5360.3.8
BB6A87880C466626FF0D57D4FEEBFD84.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The specific name flavoreductus is given for the reduced yellow markings on pterothorax and abdomen of the individuals combining two Latin words flavo (= yellow, Latin) and reducta (= reduced, Latin). Proposed English Name. Dark Longleg. The common English name is given due to reduced yellow markings on black pterothorax and abdomen of the individuals.	en	Chandran, Ayikkara Vivek, Sawant, Dattaprasad, Chandran, Reji, Koparde, Pankaj, Jose, Subin Kaniyamattathil, Kunte, Krushnamegh (2025): Two new species of Merogomphus Martin, 1904 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa 5588 (2): 201-226, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5588.2.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5360.3.8
BB6A87880C466626FF0D57D4FEEBFD84.taxon	description	Description of holotype male IBC-CD 337 (Figs. 7 – 8). In life, male has greenish yellow markings on black ground colour, which fade post-mortem and become darker. Head (Fig. 7 a – b, d). Head black. Labium, labrum, mandibles, clypeus, antefrons black, crest of postfrons has broad pale greenish yellow band, median ocellus creamy yellow, rest black with yellow tinge; antennae brown. Eyes turquoise-green in life, greenish grey post-mortem. Postocular area and occiput black. Thorax. Prothorax (Fig. 7 b, e). Black, marked with greenish yellow as follows: horizontally elongated oval yellow spot on middle part of anterior lobe; two spots separated by thin black line on the posterior edge of middle lobe, postero-laterally one triangular spot on each side, one small obscure round spot near anterior margin of middle lobe on each side; a big horizontally elongated oval spot on posterior lobe. Pterothorax (Fig. 7 c, e – f). Black, marked with greenish yellow as follows: mesothoracic collar broad, connected at mid-dorsal carina; narrow stripes tapering anteriorly on mesepisternum slightly diverging from mid-dorsal carina, antehumeral spot absent; a broad stripe on mesepimeron; two inconspicuous spots on metepisternum, one at upper end, other in the mid part; metepimeron covered with a large spot, sparing only anterior border; a small obscure spot on mesinfraepisternum and metinfraepisternum each, barely visible in life. Legs. Black; hindlegs are exceptionally long, each femur of hindleg bears 5 – 6 prominent spines along with numerous fine spines; rest all legs bear small spines; obscure yellow markings on flexor surface of foreleg femurs. Wings (Fig. 7 c, g). Hyaline, very faintly tinted with brown; venation black; Pt elongated rectangular, blackish brown, nervures black, covers 4 – 5 cells below; Arculus at level of Ax 2 – 3. Crossveins below subcosta 14 in FW and 11 in HW. Cubito-anal space with one crossvein. Anal triangle three celled with a square-shaped central cell; anal loop absent; discoidal field includes two cell rows in all FW and HW. Ax 15 in left FW, 16 in right FW, 11 in both HW. Px 13 in both FW, 12 in both HW. Abdomen (Fig. 7 c). Black, marked with greenish yellow as follows: S 1 has a mid-dorsal triangular spot extending anteriorly as a thin line, a trapezoid spot on each postero-lateral side in the lower half; S 2 has a mid-dorsal band with two bulges, an irregular spot with anterior projection on each postero-lateral side; auricles greenish yellow with anterior margin black; S 3 – 6 with paired mid-dorsal triangular spots at the anterior end; S 3 one triangular spot on anterior end of each lateral side and an additional elongated spot ventro-laterally; mid-dorsal spots of S 4 – 6 at anterior end expand laterally to make band which ends ventro-laterally; S 7 anterior half with greenish yellow band enclosing a horizontal narrow black streak interrupted at mid-dorsal point; S 8 with small inverted triangular spot at anterior end; S 9 with a very small obscure spot at centre of dorsum, a pointed spine on mid-dorsum at the posterior end; S 10 black. Antero-basal greenish markings on S 3 – 7 have a small black circular mark on each lateral side. Accessory genitalia (Fig. 8 a – e). Anterior hamuli black, short; posterior hamuli black, long, almost straight, bending forwards at apex, apex pointed; Vescia spermalis blackish brown, proximal segment funnel shaped; middle segment broad, with prominent blunt spine on dorsum; distal segment creamy yellow with two short flagella, base of flagella broad, roughly rectangular shaped, tips blunt and transparent. Caudal appendages (Figs. 8 f – h). Cerci curved, boomerang-shaped, creamy white, outer margin smooth, broad at base, pointed apex, blackish blue tinge appear post-mortem; lateral spine dark brown, broad and blunt; cerci apex straight without any chiselled margin, tip slightly curled upwards; epiproct black, bean shaped in lateral view, broad at base, pointed at apex, turned upwards. Measurements. Abdomen without appendages 40; HW 31; total length 54. Description of paratype female IBC-CD 347 (Figs. 9 – 10). In life, females have bright citron-yellow markings on black ground colour, which become dull post-mortem. Head (Fig. 9 a – b, d). Black; head and marking on frons crest similar to male. Eyes bottle green in life, greyish green post-mortem. Postocular area and occiput black. Thorax. Prothorax (Fig. 9 b, d – e). Similar to male, except being darker and absence of the obscure spots of middle lobe near anterior margin. Pterothorax (Fig. 9 e – f). Similar to male, antehumeral stripes are slightly narrower than that of male. Legs (Fig. 9 g). Black; hindlegs very long, each femur of hindleg bears 5 – 7 prominent spines; rest similar to male. Wings (Fig. 10 a). Hyaline; Pt elongated rectangular, blackish brown, covers 4 – 5 cells below; Ax 16 in both FW, 12 in both HW. Px 12 in both FW, 10 – 11 in HW. Abdomen (Fig. 9 c). Black, marked with citron yellow, markings similar to male except following: S 1 – 2 laterally yellow in lower half, S 3 with spindle shaped spot on lateral, S 4 with small spot on lateral; S 10 with a small irregular spot on dorsum. Caudal appendages (Fig. 10 b – d). Cerci short, conical, bluntly pointed, creamy yellow with bluish tinge, almost of same length as S 10, inner margin has a bulge near base. Epiproct very small, globular, creamy yellow with bluish tinge. Vulvar scale conical, sharply pointed, notched in the middle. Measurements. Abdomen without appendages 39; HW 32; total length 50. Variation in females (Fig. 11 – 12). IBC-CD 348 female has brighter yellow markings, presumably due to its younger age (Fig. 11). Markings on prothorax, mesinfraepisternum and metinfraepisternum are more prominent. Spots on metepisternum are sharply defined. However, S 4 has a very faint yellow spot on the lateral. S 10 has a slightly bigger yellow spot on the dorsum. Rest of the characters are similar to IBC-CD 347. Measurements. Abdomen without appendages 40; HW 33; total length 54.	en	Chandran, Ayikkara Vivek, Sawant, Dattaprasad, Chandran, Reji, Koparde, Pankaj, Jose, Subin Kaniyamattathil, Kunte, Krushnamegh (2025): Two new species of Merogomphus Martin, 1904 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa 5588 (2): 201-226, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5588.2.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5360.3.8
BB6A87880C466626FF0D57D4FEEBFD84.taxon	diagnosis	Differential diagnosis. Merogomphus aryanadensis can be readily distinguished from other Indian Merogomphus spp. by the thin band of yellow on crest of frons with a ‘ curly bracket-shaped’ incursion of black, mesothoracic collar with a gap in between, shape of the stripe on metepisternum and mid-dorsal extension of the basal ring on S 7 (Fig. 13). All other Merogomphus spp. including M. flavoreductus have a broad yellow band on the crest of frons (Fig. 13 g, m, s). Moreover, males of M. aryanadensis have pointed cerci tips which are parallel to each other, whereas the other three species have cerci tips approaching each other (Fig. 13 d, j, p, v). Male epiproct of M. aryanadensis is placed slightly higher as compared to the others (Fig. 13 d). Distal segment of vesica spermalis of M. aryanadensis male ends in two long flagella, whereas remaining three species have short flagella in distal segment of vesica spermalis (Fig. 13 f, l, r, x). M. aryanadensis has fewer yellow markings on the body as compared to M. longistigma and somewhat similar markings as in M. flavoreductus and M. tamaracherriensis (Figs. 14 – 15). However, above mentioned characters distinctly separate the new species from latter. Merogomphus flavoreductus is uniquely characterised by the absence of a middle yellow stripe on the lateral thorax and the lack of a mid-dorsal yellow spot on S 3 (Figs. 13 – 15). Morphologically, M. flavoreductus males are most similar to M. tamaracherriensis, but differ by the absence of a spot on the mid-dorsum of S 3, boomerang-shaped cerci, a broader epiproct, a wider base of the flagella in the distal segment of the vesica spermalis, and the presence of small black spots on the greenish-yellow abdominal markings laterally (Figs. 13 – 15). Merogomphus longistigma differs from M. flavoreductus by the presence of extensive yellow markings and more acutely curved male cerci (Figs. 14 – 15). Merogomphus aryanadensis has pointed male cerci tips which are parallel to each other (Fig. 13 f, l). Rest of the differences are mentioned in the earlier paragraph.	en	Chandran, Ayikkara Vivek, Sawant, Dattaprasad, Chandran, Reji, Koparde, Pankaj, Jose, Subin Kaniyamattathil, Kunte, Krushnamegh (2025): Two new species of Merogomphus Martin, 1904 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa 5588 (2): 201-226, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5588.2.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5360.3.8
BB6A87880C466626FF0D57D4FEEBFD84.taxon	biology_ecology	Habitat and habits. Merogomphus aryanadensis was first photographed from the type locality in October 2020 near a shaded, seasonal stream approximately one metre wide, that flows into the Karamana River across a private land. At that time, only a single male was observed. It was readily distinguishable from its sympatric congeneric, M. tamaracherriensis, by its smaller size. Upon inspecting the photographs, the parallel cerci tips were recognisable, as were the differences in body markings. In the following years, thorough searches of the locality were hindered by a herd of Asian Elephants that had entered the area from the nearby forest. In August 2024, two males were seen perched on the leaves of Ochlandra reeds, at a height of 0.5 metre, on the banks of the same stream. When disturbed, they ascended into the foliage, reaching approximately three metres, and returned to their original positions after 30 minutes. These individuals were collected as holotype and paratype for this study (Fig. 16 a). The female paratype was collected from a more open habitat, perched on a shrub near an irrigation canal, at a distance of about 10 metres from the stream (Fig. 16 b). Other odonate species seen along with M. aryanadensis were Hylaeothemis apicalis Fraser, 1924, Vestalis submontana Fraser, 1934, Orthetrum chrysis (Selys, 1891), Caconeura risi (Fraser, 1931), and Idionyx gomantakensis Subramanian, Rangnekar & Naik, 2013. Merogomphus flavoreductus was initially observed in October 2021 at its type locality in Hadpid village, Sindhudurg District (Fig. 16 c). Due to morphological similarities with M. tamaracherriensis, it was misidentified. Since then, M. flavoreductus has been consistently observed at the same stream from August through October. This stream in Hadpid village features a seasonal water flow over a rocky bed, located in the low-altitude Konkan region. It is surrounded by cashew plantations and natural forest, with its northern boundary adjacent to a State Highway. Observations indicate that M. flavoreductus predominantly occupies a 200 - metre stretch where males are typically seen basking on rocks and leaves, while females remain slightly away from the water, occasionally approaching the stream for oviposition (Fig. 16 d). The stream has a small weir dam where M. flavoreductus shares the habitat with Disparoneura quadrimaculata (Rambur, 1842), Burmagomphus chaukulensis Joshi, Ogale & Sawant, 2022, Gomphidia kodaguensis Fraser, 1923 and M. souteri during the late monsoon (Fig. 17 b).	en	Chandran, Ayikkara Vivek, Sawant, Dattaprasad, Chandran, Reji, Koparde, Pankaj, Jose, Subin Kaniyamattathil, Kunte, Krushnamegh (2025): Two new species of Merogomphus Martin, 1904 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa 5588 (2): 201-226, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5588.2.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5360.3.8
BB6A87880C466626FF0D57D4FEEBFD84.taxon	distribution	Distribution (Fig. 18). Merogomphus aryanadensis is presently known only from the type locality (Fig. 18). It is likely to inhabit similar environments within the Agasthyamalai landscape. Merogomphus flavoreductus is also known only from the type locality in Sindhudurg District (Fig. 18). However, similar individuals were observed by DS in other locations from Devgad, Kankavli and Sawantwadi talukas of Sindhudurg District. Close observation of body markings, caudal appendages and genitalia would be helpful to confirm the identity. Consequently, the potential distribution range of M. flavoreductus may extend from the low-altitude regions of Ratnagiri District in Maharashtra to the Uttara Kannada District in Karnataka State.	en	Chandran, Ayikkara Vivek, Sawant, Dattaprasad, Chandran, Reji, Koparde, Pankaj, Jose, Subin Kaniyamattathil, Kunte, Krushnamegh (2025): Two new species of Merogomphus Martin, 1904 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa 5588 (2): 201-226, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5588.2.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5360.3.8
BB6A87880C466626FF0D57D4FEEBFD84.taxon	discussion	Phylogeny (Fig. 19). Genetic analysis revealed that M. aryanadensis and M. flavoreductus differed from M. tamaracherriensis by 9.96 % and 4.98 % respectively in the COI gene compared. The phylogenetic tree (Fig. 19) illustrates that the newly described species are nested within the Merogomphus clade, however, nodal support values were weak.	en	Chandran, Ayikkara Vivek, Sawant, Dattaprasad, Chandran, Reji, Koparde, Pankaj, Jose, Subin Kaniyamattathil, Kunte, Krushnamegh (2025): Two new species of Merogomphus Martin, 1904 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa 5588 (2): 201-226, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5588.2.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5360.3.8
