Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2026-06-10
Page range: 563-574
Abstract views: 64
PDF downloaded: 1

A new species of Mortonagrion Fraser, 1920 (Odonata: Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae) from the Andaman Islands, India

Southern Regional Centre; Zoological Survey of India; Chennai-600028; India; University of Madras; Chennai-600005; India
Southern Regional Centre; Zoological Survey of India; Chennai-600028; India
Southern Regional Centre; Zoological Survey of India; Chennai-600028; India
Odonata Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot species discovery taxonomy damselfly

Abstract

A new species of damselfly, Mortonagrion santha sp. nov. is described from Dasarathpur, Rangat, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India. This species is closely similar to M. arthuri Fraser, 1942, from which it can be distinguished by the shape of the postocular spots, markings on the S9 and the unique shape of the caudal appendages. We have provided an updated identification key to the males and females of Mortonagrion Fraser, 1920 species known from South and Southeast Asia.

References

  1. Asahina, S. (1972) Mortonagrion hirosei. The last new dragonfly species from Japan? Kontyu, 40 (1), 11–16. https://type.kahaku.go.jp/TypeDB/odonata/47
  2. Bedjanič, M., Kalkman, V. & Subramanian, K. (2020) A new species of Orthetrum Newman, 1833 (Odonata: Libellulidae) from the Andaman Islands, India. Zootaxa, 4779 (1), 91–100. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4779.1.6
  3. Brauer, F. (1865) Dritter Bericht über die auf der Weltfahrt der kais. Fregatte Novara gesammelten Libellulinen. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 15 (1), 501–512. https://biostor.org/reference/61440
  4. Brauer, F. (1868a) Neue und wenig bekannte vom Herrn Doct. Semper gesammelte Odonaten. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 18, 167–188. https://biostor.org/reference/60283
  5. Brauer, F. (1868b) Dritter Bericht über die von Herrn G. Semper mitgetheilten, von dessen Bruder auf den Philippinen gesammelten Neuropteren und Beschreibung einer neuen Libellen-Gattung aus dem Museum Godeffroy in Hamburg. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 18, 541–554. https://biostor.org/reference/61388
  6. Clausnitzer, V. (2018) Mortonagrion stygium (amended version of 2017 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T158558A125631983. Available from: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/158558/125631983 (accessed 24 April 2026)
  7. Dow, R.A. (2011) Mortonagrion indraneil spec. nov. from Borneo, and a redescription of M. arthuri Fraser (Odonata: Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae). Zootaxa, 3093 (1), 35–46. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3093.1.2
  8. Dow, R.A. & Choong, C.Y. (2015) Mortonagrion megabinluyog spec. nov. from Brunei (Odonata: Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae). Zootaxa, 3914 (1), 89–93. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3914.1.8
  9. Dow, R.A. (2020) Mortonagrion arthuri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T174533A147083236. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T174533A147083236.en (accessed 26 February 2026)
  10. Drury, D. (1770) Illustrations of Natural History: Wherein are exhibited Upwards of Two Hundred and Forty Figures of Exotic Insects, according to their different Genera. B. White, Horace’s Head, Fleet-Street, London, UK, 130 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/t.173288
  11. Fabricius, J.C. (1793) Entomologia Systematica emendata et aucta. Secundum classes, ordines, genera, species adjectis synonimis, locis, observationibus, descriptionibus. Hafniae, impensis Christ. Gottl. Proft, Copenhagen, Denmark, 519 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.125869
  12. Fabricius, J.C. (1798) Entomologia Systematica emendata et aucta. Secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, adjectis synonimis, locis, observationibus, descriptionibus. Hafniae, impensis Christ. Gottl. Proft, Copenhagen, Denmark, 572 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.122153
  13. Fraser, F.C. (1920) Some new Indian Dragonflies. The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 27 (1), 147–150. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13651456
  14. Fraser, F.C. (1942) Dr. Raymond Wheeler’s collection of Odonata from the Federated Malay States, with the description of a new genus and two new species. Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London. Series B, Taxonomy, 11, 95–104. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3113.1942.tb00729.x
  15. Fraser, F.C. (1954) New and rare species of Zygoptera from the Belgian Congo. Revue de Zoologie et de Botanique Africaines, 50, 269–276.
  16. Garrison, R.W., von Ellenrieder, N. & Louton, J.A. (2010) Damselfly genera of the New World: an illustrated and annotated key to the Zygoptera. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 490 pp.
  17. Kalkman, V.J., Babu, R., Bedjanič, M., Conniff, K., Gyeltshen, T., Khan, M.K., Subramanian, K.A., Zia, A. & Orr, A.G. (2020) Checklist of the dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Zootaxa, 4849 (1), 1–84. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4849.1.1
  18. Laidlaw, F.F. (1914) Zoological Results of the Abor Expedition 1911–1912, XXV. Odonata. Records of the Indian Museum, 8 (4), 335–349. [https://archive.org/details/dli.zoological.records.008.04/page/n23/mode/2up]
  19. Laidlaw, F.F. (1919) A List of the Dragonflies Recorded from the Indian Empire with special Reference to the Collection of the Indian Museum-The Family Agrionidae B. The Legions Argia and Agrion Part II. Records of the Indian Museum, 16 (2), 169–195. https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v16/i2/1919/162806
  20. Lieftinck, M.A. (1953) New Dragonflies (Odonata) from Borneo, with notes on their habits and larvae. Treubia, 22 (2), 381–406. https://doi.org/10.14203/treubia.v22i2.2679
  21. Lieftinck, M.A. (1971) Odonata from Ceylon. Entomologica Scandinavica Supplement, 1, 188–207.
  22. Linnaeus, C. (1763) Centuria insectorum quam praeside D. D. Car. von Linné proposuit Boas Johansson, Calmariensis (Upsaliae 1763. Junii 23). In: Linnaeus, C. (Ed.), Amoenitates academicae; seu dissertationes variae physicae, medicae, botanicae, antehac seorsim editae, nunc collectae et auctae cum tabulis aeneis. Tomus 6. G. Kiesewetter, Holmiae, pp. 384–415. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.149146
  23. Nandy, S. & Babu, R. (2012) Insecta: Odonata. In: Director (Ed.), Fauna of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. State Fauna Series 19. Part-I. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, pp. 33–68.
  24. Paulson, D., Schorr, M., Abbott, J., Bota-Sierra, C., Deliry, C., Dijkstra, K.-D. & Lozano, F. (2026) World Odonata List. Odonata Central, University of Alabama. Available from: https://www.odonatacentral.org/app/#/wol/ (accessed 22 April 2026)
  25. Rajeshkumar, S., Raghunathan, C. & Chandra, K. (2017) Nososticta nicobarica sp. nov. (Odonata: Platycnemididae: Disparoneurinae) from Great Nicobar Island, India. Zootaxa, 4311 (3), 426–434. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4311.3.8
  26. Rajeshkumar, S. & Raghunathan, C. (2018) Description of a new species of Nososticta Hagen (Odonata: Platycnemididae: Disparoneurinae) from Central Nicobar Islands, India. Zootaxa, 4422 (3), 431–441. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4422.3.9
  27. Rambur, P. (1842) Histoire naturelle des insectes. Névroptères. Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret, Paris, France, 534 pp.
  28. Richards, S. (2020) Mortonagrion martini. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T122150599A145786869. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T122150599A145786869.en (accessed 24 April 2026)
  29. Ris, F. (1900) Libellen vom Bismarck-Archipel gesammelt durch Prof. Friedr. Dahl. Archiv für Naturgeschichte, 66 (2), 175–204. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.29035
  30. Ris, F. (1916) H. Sauter’s Formosa Ausbeute: Odonata, mit Notizen über andere ostasiatische Odonaten. Supplementa entomologica, 5, 1–81.
  31. Sasamoto, A. (2020) Mortonagrion selenion. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020, e.T122150636A142916919. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T122150636A142916919.en (accessed 16 April 2026)
  32. Seehausen, M. & Dawn, P. (2024) Lyriothemis lucifera spec. nov. from the Andaman Islands, India (Odonata: Libellulidae). Zootaxa, 5447 (2), 273–281. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5447.2.8
  33. Seehausen, M., Kalkman, V.J. & Bedjanič, M. (2025) Revision of the Pseudagrion red-group occurring in Asia west of Lydekker’s line, with description of four new species (Odonata: Coenagrionidae). Zootaxa, 5587 (1), 1–66. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5587.1.1
  34. Selys-Longchamps, E. de (1877) Synopsis des agrionines, 5me legion; Agrion (suite et fin). Les genres Telebasis, Argiocnemis et Hemiphlebia. Bulletins de l’Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique, 43 (2), 97–159.
  35. Selys-Longchamps, E. de (1879) Nouvelles observations sur les Odonates de la région de la Nouvelle Guinée. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, 14, 287–324.
  36. Stanton, D.J. & Allcock, J.A. (2011) Habitat characteristics and odonate communities at selected sites used by Mortonagrion hirosei Asahina (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae) in Hong Kong. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 3 (12), 2242–2252. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o2891.2242-52
  37. Subramanian, K.A., Emiliyamma, K.G., Babu, R., Radhakrishnan, C. & Talmale, S.S. (2018) Atlas of Odonata (Insecta) of the Western Ghats. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 417 pp.
  38. Subramanian, K., Babu, R. & Kalkman, V. (2020) Orthetrum erythronigrum sp. nov. (Odonata: Libellulidae) from the Great Nicobar Island, India. Zootaxa, 4869 (2), 242–250. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4869.2.4
  39. Subramanian, K.A., Sivaperuman, C. & Babu, R. (2023) Odonata of Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve. In: Sivaperuman, C., Banerjee, D., Tripathy, B. & Chandra, K. (Eds.), Faunal Ecology and Conservation of the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve. Springer, Singapore, pp. 77–89. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-5158-9_3
  40. Tuhin, M.S.H. & Khan, M.K. (2018) An updated list of Odonata of southwestern Bangladesh. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 10 (15), 12995–13001. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4031.10.15.12995-13001
  41. Villanueva, R.J.T. & Cahilog, H. (2013) Odonata Fauna of Balabac Island, Philippines: with descriptions of two new species. International Dragonfly Fund: Report, 60, 1–34. [https://dragonflyfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/IDF_Report_60_Villanueva_Cahilog_2013_small.pdf]

How to Cite

Christopher, J.I., Babu, R. & Subramanian, K.A. (2026) A new species of Mortonagrion Fraser, 1920 (Odonata: Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae) from the Andaman Islands, India. Zootaxa, 5828 (3), 563–574. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5828.3.9