Gynacantha bayadera explained

Gynacantha bayadera, parakeet darner or small duskhawker, is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. It is found from India to South China and northern New Guinea. This is a crepuscular species which probably breeds in forested swamps and marshy areas, or in forest pools.^[1]

Description and habitat

This is a slender dragonfly with abdomen constricted at the 3rd segment and colored a uniform parakeet green, sometimes turning olivaceous. Its thorax is green and abdomen is pale brown to reddish brown above with segments 1–3 grass green on the sides.^{[2] [3]} It can be distinguished from other Gynacantha species as it has unmarked frons whereas Gynacantha dravida, Gynacantha basiguttata and Gynacantha subinterrupta have a "T-mark".^{[4] [5]}

Fraser described Gynacantha millardi which resembles G. bayadera in its size, shape and colors. But it can be differentiated by the absence of the usual constriction of segment three which is very prominent in G. bayadera.^[6] G. millardi is considered as a synonym of G. bayadera in some literature^[1] and as a good species in some others.^{[7] [8]}

It is crepuscular and flies low in shady places.^[2]

See also

• List of odonates of India
• List of odonates of Sri Lanka
• List of odonata of Kerala

Notes and References

1. Book: K.A. . Subramanian . K.G. . Emiliyamma . R. . Babu . C. . Radhakrishnan . S.S. . Talmale . Atlas of Odonata (Insecta) of the Western Ghats, India . 2018 . Zoological Survey of India . 9788181714954. 195–196.
2. Book: C FC Lt. Fraser. Frederic Charles Fraser. The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma, Odonata Vol. III. Taylor and Francis. Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, London. 1936. 103–106.
3. Web site: Gynacantha bayadera Selys, 1891.
4. Web site: Dragonflies and damselflies of Vietnam: Gynacantha bayadera - yet another Gynacantha (species 9). 2016-01-08.
5. Web site: Gynacantha bayadera Selys, 1891. 2013-07-04.
6. Fraser . F. C. . Some new Indian Dragonflies . The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society . 1920 . 27 . 147 . 8 October 2018.
7. Priyadarshana . Tharaka Sudesh . van der Poorten . Nancy . Wijewardana . G. V. I. H. . Jayasooriya . A. L. A. C.. First record of Gynacantha millardi (Odonata: Aeshnidae) from Sri Lanka . Taprobanica . 2015 . 7 . 4 . 266–267 . 9 October 2018.
8. Dawn . P . Chandra . K . Description of the larva of Gynacantha millardi Selys, 1891 (Odonata: Aeshnidae) from Chhattisgarh, India . Zootaxa . 2016 . 4132 . 2 . 290–294 . 10.11646/zootaxa.4132.2.12 . 27395672 .