Indolestes gracilis explained

Indolestes gracilis^[1] is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae. It is known only from Sri Lanka, South India and Cambodia.

Subspecies

There are three recognized subspecies.

• Indolestes gracilis gracilis - from Sri Lanka
• Indolestes gracilis davenporti - from South India^{[2] [3] [1] [4]}
• Indolestes gracilis expressior - from Cambodia^[5]

Indolestes gracilis birmanus (Selys, 1891) described from Myanmar is now considered as a distinct species, Indolestes birmanus.^[6]

Description and habitat

It is a medium sized damselfly with blue eyes. Its thorax is black on dorsum with a narrow blue mid-dorsal and broad ante-humeral stripes. The lower edge of the black is like a saw-tooth, followed by azure blue on the base of the lateral sides. Wings are transparent with black or dark reddish-brown pterostigma. Abdomen is azure blue on the sides, broadly black on dorsum up to the basal half of segment 9. The apical half of segment 9 and whole of segment 10 are azure blue. There is a black spot on each side of segment 10. Anal appendages are blue; black on old males.^[7]

Female is similar to the male; differs only in the eye color and color of the last segments. Segment 9 is black.^[7]

Habitat

Indolestes gracilis gracilis is found in hill tracts up to 6,000 feet in Sri Lanka. Indolestes gracilis davenporti is found south of the Palakkad Gap, from 4,000 to 6,000 feet in Western Ghats.^{[7] [8] [9] [10]} Indolestes gracilis expressior is found from 1600 to 4500 feet in evergreen forest in eastern Cambodia.^[5]

See also

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

References

• http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Indolestes_gracilis/classification/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20150219172210/http://www.wht.lk/storage/book_downloads/CorrigendaAddendum.pdf
• http://www.wildreach.com/reptile/animals/dragonflies.php
• http://srilankanodonata.blogspot.com/
• http://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/227456

Notes and References

1. Web site: World Odonata List. Slater Museum of Natural History. 2017-03-16.
2. Checklist of the dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Zootaxa. Kalkman. V. J.. 2020-09-08. 4849. 001–084. Babu. R.. Bedjanič. M.. Conniff. K.. Gyeltshenf. T.. Khan. M. K.. Subramanian. K. A.. Zia. A.. Orr. A. G.. 1. Magnolia Press, Auckland, New Zealand. 10.11646/zootaxa.4849.1.1. 33056748. 978-1-77688-047-8. 1175-5334. 10072/398768. 222819662 . free.
3. Kimmins . Lestes (Indolestes) davenporti . Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Entomol. . 1966 . 18 . 188.
4. 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 . 978-81-8171-495-4. 32–33.
5. Oleg E. Kosterin . Taxonomical notes on Indolestes Fraser, 1922 (Lestidae, Zygoptera). 1. Indolestes gracilis expressior ssp. nov. from eastern Cambodia . Journal of the International Dragonfly Fund . 81. 1–11. 2015. 2017-03-16.
6. Oleg E. Kosterin . Roberto Poggi . Taxonomical notes on Indolestes Fraser, 1922 (Lestidae, Zygoptera). 2. Indolestes birmanus (Selys, 1891) is bona species. . Journal of the International Dragonfly Fund . 81. 13–20. 2015. 2017-03-16.
7. Book: C FC Lt. Fraser. Frederic Charles Fraser. The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma, Odonata Vol. I. Taylor and Francis. Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, London. 1933. 65–71.
8. Book: Subramanian, K. A.. Dragonflies and Damselflies of Peninsular India - A Field Guide. 2005.
9. Web site: Indolestes gracilis Hagen in Selys, 1862. India Biodiversity Portal. 2017-03-08.
10. Web site: Indolestes gracilis Hagen in Selys, 1862. Odonata of India, v. 1.00. Indian Foundation for Butterflies. 2017-03-08.