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Issue: Vol. 5679 No. 4: 15 Aug. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-08-15
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5679.4.1
Page range: 451-483
Abstract views: 69
PDF downloaded: 1

Two new species of Protosticta Selys, 1885 (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae) from the Western Ghats, India

Society for Odonate Studies; Vellooparampil; Kuzhimattom PO; Kottayam; Kerala; 686533; India.
Indian Foundation for Butterflies Trust; C- 703; Alpine Pyramid Apts; near Canara Bank Layout; Kodigehalli; Bengaluru; Karnataka; 560097; India.
Society for Odonate Studies; Vellooparampil; Kuzhimattom PO; Kottayam; Kerala; 686533; India.
Department of Environmental Studies; Dr Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University; Kothrud; Pune; Maharashtra; 411038; India.
Whistling Woods; 51040; Amboli; Sindhudurg; Maharashtra; 416510; India.
Vanoshi Forest Homestay; Kudase Village; Dodamarg; Sindhudurg; Maharashtra; 416512; India.
National Centre for Biological Sciences; GKVK Campus; Bellary Rd; Bengaluru; Karnataka; 560065; India.
Odonata Allopatry biodiversity hotspot Kerala Maharashtra odonatology phylogeny Sindhudurg species discovery taxonomy

Abstract

We erect two new species of damselflies from the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot, Protosticta sanguinithorax sp. nov. from Kerala and P. shambhaveei sp. nov. from Maharashtra, India. Morphologically, these species show close affinity with P. sanguinostigma Fraser, 1922, an endemic species of the Western Ghats; however, they are distinguished by their ground colouration, unique features in their prothoraxes, caudal appendages, and accessory genitalia. We also establish a significant genetic distance, based on the COI gene, between these newly erected Protosticta species and P. sanguinostigma. We present an updated taxonomic key to the males of Protosticta species in the Western Ghats, incorporating newly available diagnostic information.

 

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How to Cite

Chandran, A.V., Sawant, D., Chandran, R., Koparde, P., Ogale, H., Rane, A.A. & Kunte, K. (2025) Two new species of Protosticta Selys, 1885 (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa, 5679 (4), 451–483. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5679.4.1