Mortonagrion santha

Mortonagrion santha Latest News

Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India and the University of Madras recently discovered a new species of damselfly, named Mortonagrion santha, among the tropical vegetation of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

About Mortonagrion santha

• It is a new species of damselfly.
• It was discovered around a small farm pond surrounded by a coconut plantation in Dasarathpur, Rangat tehsil, in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.   
• It belongs to a genus of insects known for their incredible secrecy, often blending perfectly into the shaded coastal vegetation. 
• The Mortonagrion santha’s physical distinct features separate it from its closest known relative, Mortonagrion arthuri, a species found further east in Southeast Asia.  
  • The new damselfly has unique pale-blue, crescent-shaped postocular spots located just behind its eyes.
  • It also has a distinctive bright-blue splash of colour on its ninth abdominal segment. 
  • Under a microscope, M. santha also shows a uniquely shaped, three-lobed collar area (the prothorax) and different proportions in its tail-like mating appendages, where the upper parts are only about half the length of the lower parts.

News: RM

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