Spoon-tailed Duskhawker

Why in News?

Spoon-tailed duskhawker has been recorded for the first time with verifiable photographic evidence in Arunachal Pradesh.

• It was photographed on the Miao–Vijaynagar Road inside Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve.
• The finding strengthens India’s Odonata checklist.
• Common name – Spoon-tailed duskhawker
• Scientific name – Gynacantha basiguttata
• Order – Odonata

Odonata is an order of predatory flying insects. It includes Dragonflies, Damselflies.

• Group – Dragonfly
• Location of record – Namdapha National Park & Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh
• Distribution – Parts of Southeast Asia
• Identification features
  • Black T-shaped mark on the frons.
  • Olive-green thorax without a stripe.
  • Distinctive wing pigmentation.
  • Narrow but expanded cerci, giving the abdominal appendages a spoon-like appearance.
• Taxonomic reference – Earlier literature had mentioned the species in India, but the record was considered doubtful because it was based only on female specimens.
• It was later excluded from recent Indian and South Asian Odonata checklists.
• The new photographic evidence supports its inclusion in India’s Odonata checklist.
• No physical specimen was collected, in accordance with forest regulations and the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022.

Namdapha National Park & Tiger Reserve

• Located in – Arunachal Pradesh.
• Situated in – Eastern Himalayas.
• It is both a National Park and Tiger Reserve.
• Known for – Exceptionally high biodiversity and its location within the Indo-Burma biodiversity region.

Reference

The Hindu| Spoon-tailed Duskhawker