Gynacantha khasiaca

Gynacantha khasiaca Latest News

A team of four citizen scientists recently recorded Gynacantha khasiaca, a rare dragonfly commonly known as the long-tailed duskhawker, from the Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve.

About Gynacantha khasiaca

• It is a rare species of dragonfly, commonly known as the long-tailed duskhawker.
• It has resurfaced in the dense rainforests of Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh. 
• It is the first confirmed record of the dragonfly from Arunachal Pradesh in 110 years. 
• It was last officially recorded in Arunachal Pradesh in 1914 from the Abor Hills region. 
• Outside India, the dragonfly has only been reported from scattered locations in Nepal, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. 
• Within India, confirmed records remain sparse, with occasional sightings from Assam, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, and Maharashtra. 
• The male dragonfly was first spotted rapidly patrolling the forest edge on a cloudy morning before settling into a vertical hanging posture beneath dense vegetation — behaviour typical of elusive duskhawker species. 
• The insect itself is visually striking, with pale blue-green eyes, a bright green thorax marked by dark stripes, transparent amber-tinted wings, and a long black-tipped abdomen stretching nearly five centimetres. 
• Globally, the species is classified as “Data Deficient” by the IUCN Red List.

Source: TH

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