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New Damselfly Species - Lestes paloti
July 24 , 2026
15 hrs 0 min
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- Scientists discovered Lestes paloti, a new species of spreadwing damselfly, in the Western Ghats of Kerala.
- Lestes paloti belongs to the family Lestidae under the order Odonata and was named after Dr. Muhamed Jafer Palot of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).
- The species has been recorded from six districts of Kerala—Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad, and Ernakulam—and inhabits laterite hillocks and scrub vegetation.
- It shows a unique seasonal colour change, appearing brown during the dry season and bluish during the monsoon.
- The discovery comes 97 years after the last Lestes species was described from the Western Ghats and increases Kerala's odonate (dragonflies and damselflies) diversity to 192 species.
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