List of Odonata of Nepal explained

The following is a list of Odonata of Nepal. One hundred and eighty-five species from seventeen families are listed.

This list is primarily based on Graham Vick's 1989 list^[1] with some recent additions and a modernized classification.

Suborder Anisozygoptera

Family Epiophlebiidae

• Epiophlebia laidlawi - Himalayan relict dragonfly

Suborder Zygoptera – damselflies

Family Amphipterygidae – diplebiidae

• Philoganga montana

Family Calopterygidae – jewelwings

• Neurobasis chinensis chinensis - stream glory
• Caliphaea confusa
• Vestalis gracilis gracilis - clear-winged forest glory

Family Chlorocyphidae

• Aristocypha cuneata syn A. bifenestrata
• Aristocypha quadrimaculata
• Aristocypha trifasciata syn A. bifasciata
• Aristo (Para) cypha unimaculata
• Libellago lineata lineata - river heliodor
• Heliocypha biforata

Family Euphaeidae

• Allophaea (Euphaea) ochracea
• Anisopleura comes
• Anisopleura lestoides
• Anisopleura subplatystyla
• Bayadera indica
• Bayadera longicauda
• Bayadera hyaline

Family Synlestidae

• Megalestes major - giant green spreadwing
• Megalestes irma

Family Lestidae

• Indolestes cyaneus
• Lestes dorothea
• Lestes praemorsus praemorsus - sapphire-eyed spreadwing

Family Coenagrionidae

• Aciagrion hisopa
• Aciagrion olympicum
• Aciagrion pallidum - pale slender dartlet
• Aciagrion occidentale - green-striped slender dartlet
• Aciagrion approximans - Indian violet dartlet^[2]
• Agriocnemis clauseni
• Agriocnemis lacteola - milky dartlet
• Agriocnemis pygmaea - pygmy dartlet
• Agriocnemis femina - pinhead dartlet
• Enallagma parvum - azure dartlet
• Paracercion calamorum - dusky lilysquatter
• Paracercion malayanum - Malay lillysquatter
• Ceriagrion azureum - azure marsh dart
• Ceriagrion cerinorubellum - orange-tailed marsh dart ^[3]
• Ceriagrion fallax fallax - black-tailed marsh dart
• Ceriagrion fallax cerinomelas
• Ceriagrion coromandelianum - Coromandel marsh dart
• Ceriagrion olivaceum - rusty marsh dart
• Coenagrion exclamationis
• Ischnura rubilio - western golden dartlet
• Ischnura montana
• Ischnura elegans - common bluetail
• Ischnura forcipata - forcipate dartlet
• Ischnura rufostigma - ruby dartlet
• Ischnura nursei - pixie dartlet
• Onychargia atrocyana - black marsh dart
• Pseudagrion australasiae
• Pseudagrion decorum - three-lined dart
• Pseudagrion microcephalum - blue grass dart
• Pseudagrion rubriceps - saffron-faced blue dart
• Pseudagrion spencei

Family Platycnemididae – featherlegs

• Coeliccia renifera
• Calicnemia doonensis carmine
• Calicnemia eximia
• Calicnemia miniata
• Calicnemia mortoni
• Calicnemia nipalica

• Calicnemia pulverulans
• Copera vittata - blue bush dart
• Copera marginipes - yellow bush dart

Family Platystictidae – forest damsels

• Drepanosticta carmichaeli - Indo-Chinese blue reedtail

Family Protoneuridae

• Prodasineura autumnalis - black threadtail
• Prodasineura odoneli

Suborder Anisoptera – dragonflies

Family Gomphidae

• Anisogomphus bivittatus
• Anisogomphus occipitalis - Shivalik clubtail
• Anisogomphus orites
• Burmagomphus hasimaricus
• Burmagomphus sivalikensis
• Davidius aberrans aberrans
• Davidius delineates
• Ictinogomphus angulosus
• Ictinogomphus kishori
• Ictinogomphus pertinax
• Ictinogomphus rapax - Indian common clubtail
• Macrogomphus montanus
• Macrogomphus seductus
• Microgomphus phewataali^{[4] [5]}
• Nepogomphus modestus
• Lamelligomphus biforceps
• Scalmogomphus bistrigatus
• Onychogomphus cerastes
• Nychogomphus duaricus
• Onychogomphus risi
• Onychogomphus schmidti
• Onychogomphus saundersii
• Paragomphus lindgreni
• Paragomphus lineatus
• Perissogomphus stevensi
• Platygomphus dolabratus
• Stylogomphus inglisi

Family Aeshnidae

• Aeshna petalura petalura
• Anaciaeschna jaspidea - rusty darner
• Anaciaeschna martini
• Anaciaeschna donaldi
• Anax guttatus - blue-tailed green darner
• Anax indicus - lesser green emperor
• Anax nigrofasciatus nigrolineatus
• Anax immaculafrons
• Anax parthenope
• Cephalaeschna acutifrons
• Cephalaeschna klapperichi
• Cephalaeschna masoni
• Cephalaeschna orbifrons
• Cephalaeschna viridifrons
• Gynacantha bayadera - parakeet darner
• Gynacantha incisura
• Gynacantha khasiaca
• Gynacanthaeschna sikkima
• Oligoaeschna martini
• Periaeschna unifasciata
• Polycanthagyna erythromelas

Family Cordulegastridae

• Anotogaster basalis palampurensis
• Anotogaster gregoryi
• Anotogaster nipalensis
• Chlorogomphus atkinsoni
• Chlorogomphus mortoni
• Chlorogomphus olympicus
• Chlorogomphus preciosus
• Chlorogomphus selysi
• Cordulegaster brevistigma brevistigma
• Neallogaster hermionae
• Neallogaster latifrons
• Neallogaster ornata

Family Corduliidae

• Epophthalmia frontalis frontalis
• Idionyx stevensi

Family Macromiidae

• Macromia cingulata
• Macromia flavocolorata
• Macromia moorei moorei
• Macromia sombui
• Somatochlora nipalensis

Family Libellulidae

• Acisoma panorpoides panorpoides - trumpet-tail
• Aethriamanta brevipennis - scarlet marsh hawk
• Brachythemis contaminata - ditch jewel
• Brachydiplax sobrina - little blue marsh hawk
• Barchydiplax chalybea - rufous-backed marsh hawk
• Bradinophyga geminata - granite ghost
• Cratilla lineata - emerald-banded skimmer
• Cratilla metallica
• Crocothemis erythaea - broad skimmer
• Crocothemis servilia - scarlet skimmer
• Diplacodes lefebvreii
• Diplacodes nebulosa - black-tipped ground skimmer
• Diplacodes trivialis - blue ground skimmer
• Libellula quadrimaculata
• Lyriothemis bivittata
• Nannophya pygmaea
• Neurothemis fulvia - fulvous forest skimmer
• Neurothemis intermedia - paddyfield parasol
• Neurothemis tullia tullia - pied paddy skimmer
• Orthetrum glaucum- blue marsh hawk
• Orthetrum japonicum internum
• Orthetrum luzonicum - tri-coloured marsh hawk
• Orthetrum pruinosum neglectum - crimson-tailed marsh hawk
• Orthetrum coerulescens anceps - keeled skimmer
• Orthetrum sabina - green marsh hawk
• Orthetrum taeniolatum - small skimmer
• Orthetrum triangulare triangulare - blue-tailed forest hawk
• Orthetrum lineostigma
• Onychothemis testaceum testaceum
• Palpopleura sexmaculata sexmaculata - blue-tailed yellow skimmer
• Pantala flavescens - wandering glider
• Potamarcha congenera - yellow-tailed ashy skimmer
• Pseudotramea prateri
• Rhodothemis rufa - rufous marsh glider
• Rhyothemis plutonia - greater blue-wing
• Rhyothemis triangularis - lesser blue-wing
• Rhyothemis variegata variegata - common picturewing
• Selysiothemis nigra
• Sympetrum commixtum
• Sympetrum decoloratum
• Sympetrum fonscolombei
• Sympetrum haematoneura
• Sympetrum hypomelas
• Sympetrum orientale
• Tholymis tillarga
• Tramea basilaris burmeisteri - red marsh trotter
• Tramea limbata simiata - black marsh trotter
• Tramea virginia
• Trithemis aurora - crimson marsh glider
• Trithemis festiva - black stream glider
• Trithemis pallidinervis - long-legged marsh glider
• Urothemis signata signata - greater crimson glider
• Zygonyx iris - emerald cascader

See also

• List of butterflies of Nepal
• Cerambycidae of Nepal
• Zygaenidae of Nepal
• Wildlife of Nepal

Further reading

• Web site: Nepal Odonata. odonatanepal.blogspot.com. 21 May 2020.

Notes and References

1. Vick. Graham. 1989 . List of the dragonflies recorded from Nepal, with a summary of their altitudinal distribution (Odonata). Opuscula zoologica fluminensia . 43. 1–21.
2. Conniff . Karen L. . Aryal . Milan . K. C. . Sajan . Heijden . Antonie V. D. . amp . 2020 . New additions to the checklist of dragonflies and damselflies of Nepal. Agrion . 24 . 1 . 21–523.
3. K.C.. Sajan. Gurung. Juddha Bahadur. 2020. Records of dragonfies and damselfies (Insecta: Odonata) of Dipang Lake, with two new records to Nepal. International Journal of Zoology Studies. 12. 8. 15955–15961.
4. Conniff. Karen. Limbu. Mahendra Singh . amp . 2018 . Description of Microgomphus phewataali sp. nov. from Nepal (Odonata: Gomphidae). Odonatologica. 47. 3/4. 277–288.
5. Web site: Project Dragonfly. Sonia. Awale.