Protosticta himalaiaca Laidlaw, 1917

Joshi, Shantanu, Sarkar, Vivek, Sawant, Dattaprasad, Pawar, Ujwala & Kunte, Krushnamegh, 2024, Description of Protosticta khasia sp. nov. and Yunnanosticta siangi sp. nov., with new records of P. samtsensis Gurung & Phan, 2023 from Northeast India (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae), Zootaxa 5448 (3), pp. 348-370 : 352

Protosticta himalaiaca Laidlaw

syn. Protosticta lindgreni Fraser

Note about spelling of the scientific name: in the original description by Laidlaw (1917) the spelling ‘ himalaiaca’ is used. Subsequent authors (e.g., Fraser 1933, Kalkman et al. 2020) have used the spelling ‘ himalaica’ without any justification. We use the original spelling, which should be considered as the correct original spelling according to ICZN Article 32.3.

Only recent records of this species are published and illustrated by Gurung & Phan (2023). We could not examine any specimens of this species. Protosticta himalaiaca is most similar to P. samstensis in the region. The two species differ in terms of markings of the thorax, abdomen, and shape of male caudal appendages.

The type series was made up of immature individuals, some of which were in a ‘bad condition’ ( Laidlaw 1917, p. 342). The most recent catalogue ( Sheela et al. 2023) of Odonata type specimens in the Indian Museum (now Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata) does not list this species. Many types collected by Laidlaw and supposedly deposited at ZSI could not be located in recent searches (Subramanian, pers. comm. 2024). The catalogue by Kimmins (1970) does not mention this species, but a syntype female is present in the Natural History Museum, UK ( Natural History Museum 2014).

Distribution: Kalimpong, Mangpu, and Pashok: West Bengal, India ( Laidlaw 1917, Fraser 1933), and Jichulum Punakha, Bhutan ( Gurung & Phan 2023).