New Damselfly Species Lestes paloti Discovered in Kerala Western Ghats

22 July 2026National

Indian odonatologists discovered a new spreadwing damselfly, Lestes paloti, from the Western Ghats in Kerala (family Lestidae, order Odonata), published in the International Journal of Odonatology. It is the first new Lestes species found in the Western Ghats in 97 years, raising Kerala's odonate count to 192. Named after Dr. Muhamed Jafer Palot of the Zoological Survey of India, it was recorded across six Kerala districts and turns brown in the dry season and bluish in the monsoon.

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Odonata = order of dragonflies and damselflies | The Western Ghats is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and biodiversity hotspot | Zoological Survey of India est.: 1916, HQ Kolkata

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Lestes paloti, a new damselfly from Kerala's Western Ghats, is the first new Lestes species there in 97 years, raising Kerala's odonate count to 192.

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New Damselfly Species 'Lestes paloti' Discovered in Kerala's Western Ghats

A team of Indian odonatologists discovered a new species of spreadwing damselfly, 'Lestes paloti', from the Western Ghats in Kerala in July 2026. The species belongs to the family Lestidae under the order Odonata. The discovery was published in the International Journal of Odonatology. Naming: The species is named in honour of Dr. Muhamed Jafer Palot of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kozhikode, for his contributions to Indian odonatology. Distribution: Recorded across six districts in Kerala — Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad and Ernakulam. Habitat & characteristics: Unlike most related damselflies that stay near open water, *Lestes paloti* prefers scrub vegetation around homesteads and laterite hillocks, often far from visible water bodies. It is brown in the dry season and bluish in the monsoon, and was validated as a distinct species through detailed male genital examination. Significance: The find resolves a decades-long misidentification with Lestes nodalis and is the first new Lestes species discovered in the Western Ghats in 97 years, taking Kerala's odonate species count to 192.

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