After years of research, scientists have identified a new dragonfly species found in Kerala, southern India. They’re calling it Lyriothemis keralensis, or the Slender Bombardier, and what’s interesting is that this dragonfly isn’t living in forests, but in the farmlands along the coast. Researchers announced on Sunday that this finding shows how diverse Kerala is, and that we shouldn’t forget how important farmlands are to the region’s habitat. The species was officially named after more than ten years of study by a group of Indian dragonfly experts.

How The Decade-Long Study Was Done

The dragonfly was first seen in 2013 in Varappetty, near Kothamangalam, and at first, people thought it was Lyriothemis acigastra, a similar species from northeastern India. For years, because they looked alike, researchers put them in the Little Bloodtail group.

Careful studies of their bodies and behavior showed small differences. The main investigators were Dr. Dattaprasad Sawant, Dr. A. Vivek Chandran, Renjith Jacob Mathews, and Dr. Krushnamegh Kunte, and their work was published in the International Journal of Odonatology.

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What Makes Them Different

The study says that Lyriothemis keralensis has a thinner main body, a different tail, and different reproductive parts than other related species. Adult males have a deep red main body with black markings, whereas females are slightly wider and have yellow and black coloration.

They’re about three centimeters in length. Scientists examined old museum samples that are 100 years old and helped demonstrate that this species had been around for quite a while. The historical samples indicate that the species had existed for decades yet remained unnoticed.

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Living in Farmland Instead of Forests

Most dragonflies live in protected forests, but Lyriothemis keralensis inhabits human-modified areas with irrigation. They’re usually seen in shady canals, seasonal pools, and water areas on pineapple and rubber farms, and according to Dr. Vivek Chandran, we need to do more to protect areas outside of forests. The dragonfly comes out during the monsoon season and then disappears after the rains, so it needs small habitats in private farmlands to survive, and in order to ensure it persists, the community needs to help protect it.

The identification of new dragonfly species found in Kerala shows that we need to think differently about how we protect habitat, as this new dragonfly demonstrates that wildlife can thrive even in agricultural areas when we respect and protect the habitat. Therefore, it becomes so important to conserve the natural habitats and protect the environment.

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