Melanoneura bilineata explained

Melanoneura bilineata is damselfly in the family Platycnemididae. It is endemic to Western Ghats in India, restricted to Kodagu and Wayanad districts.^[1]

Description and habitat

It is a medium-sized damselfly with black-capped blue eyes. Its thorax is black, marked with a narrow ante-humeral azure blue stripe and two broad blue stripes on the sides. Its abdomen is black, marked with azure blue broadly on the sides of the segments 1 and 2. Segments 3 to 6 are marked with tiny basal annules. Segments 8 to 10 are blue, marked with very narrow basal black rings. Female is similar to the male; but only matured adult has the blue marks. Others are marked with yellow or bluish-green.

It is similar to Caconeura ramburi; but can be distinguished by the absence of blue basal annules which is very broadly visible in C. ramburi.

It is known only from upper catchments of Kaveri river in Kodagu and western slopes of Wayanad. It is restricted to hill streams with good forest cover.^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

See also

• List of odonates of India
• 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. 118–119.
2. 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. 260-262.
3. Book: C FC Lt. Fraser. Frederic Charles Fraser. A Survey of the Odonate (Dragonfly) Fauna of Western India with Special Remarks on the Genera Macromia and Idionyx and Descriptions of Thirty New Species. Zoological Survey of India. Volumes (Records). 1924. 504–505.
4. Book: Subramanian, K. A.. Dragonflies and Damselflies of Peninsular India - A Field Guide. 2005.
5. Web site: Melanoneura bilineata Fraser, 1922 . India Biodiversity Portal. 2017-03-13.
6. Web site: Melanoneura bilineata Fraser, 1922 . Odonata of India, v. 1.00. Indian Foundation for Butterflies. 2017-03-13.