ANAX PANYBEUSHAGEN, 1867: AN ADDITION TO THE ODONATA (AESHNIDAE) OF INDIA

 

T.R. Mitra1, R. Babu 2 & K.A. Subramanian3

 

1 Passed away on 03 July 2012 after submitting this manuscript.

2  SouthernRegional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, SanthomeHigh Road, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600028, India

3 Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal 700053, India­­

2baburzsi@gmail.com, 3subbuka.zsi@gmail.com (corresponding author)

 

 

 

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3210.3682-83 | ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:104097BF-BB59-40A1-B956-4B216D8FE3A5

 

Editor: Albert Orr, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia.         Date of publication: 26 February 2013 (online & print)

 

Manuscript details: Ms # o3210 | Received 19 May 2012 | Final received 02 November 2012 | Finally accepted 09 February 2013

 

Citation: Mitra, T.R., R. Babu & K.A. Subramanian (2013). Anax panybeus Hagen, 1867: an addition to the Odonata (Aeshnidae) of India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 5(2): 3682–3683; doi:10.11609/JoTT.o3210.3682-83

 

Copyright: © Mitraet al. 2013. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTTallows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.

 

Funding: None.

 

Competing Interest: None.

 

Acknowledgements:The authors thank Dr.K.Venkataraman, Director, Zoological Survey of India for encouragement and support. We also thank Dr. Chee-Yen Choong, School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti KebangsaanMalaysia, Malyasia for providing a photograph of liveAnax panybeus specimen.

 

 

 

For images -- click here

 

 

Anax Leach is a large dragonfly genus distributed throughout the world (Tsuda 2000).  Currently 29 species are recognized (Schorr & Paulson 2012).  The adults of different species are found in diverse wetland habitats such as ponds, marshes, lakes, rivers and streams.  In India, hitherto six species of Anax have been recorded (Subramanian 2009).  Here, we report a new record and range extension of Anax panybeus Hagen, 1867 to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Materials examined: 4868/H13, 1 male, 01.viii.1984, 27km on NS Road, Swarup Nullah, Great Nicobar Island; 4869/H13, 1 male, 01.viii.1984, 35km on NS Road, Shashtri Nagar, Great Nicobar Island, coll. S.S. Saha. The Specimens were deposited in National Zoological Collection, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata.

Measurements: Abdomen: 64mm (including anal appendage); anal appendage: 7mm; hindwing: 51mm.

Description: Labium and labrum brownish-yellow.  Labrum narrowly bordered with brown.  Front yellow with a distinct black ‘T’ shaped marking on the upper surface.  Prothoraxreddish-brown.  Thorax pale green. Legs black. Wings hyaline but a large patch of amber yellow on hindwingspreading between posterior end of discoidal cells and slightly distal to node.  Pterostigma darkish brown covering more than 2½ cells, long and narrow; discoidal of fore wing 6-celled and basal cell divided into two cells, 4-celled in hindwing; five cubital nervure in forewings and four in hindwing.  Hypertrigone traversed three times in all the wings.  Membrane brownish with a patch of white at extreme base. Nodal Index: 9-18/18-9 in forewings 9-12/12-10 in hindwings.  Two robust antenodal nervure present in the forewings.  Anal loop with 10–12 cells.  Abdomen: 1st segment pale green; 2nd segment pale green on lower parts and bluish on dorsum and subdorsum; 3rd to 10thsegments dark reddish-brown with black markings.  Abdominal segment 3 is more constricted and distinctly elongated (about 11–12 mm).  Anal appendages are reddish-brown; superior appendages are thick and strong (Images 1–4).

Discussion: The specimens in National Zoological Collection, ZSI were compared with description and illustrations (Lieftinck 1942) and identified.  The species is known to be distributed widely in Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Timor-Leste (Karube2009).  The changes in coloration of the abdomen from greenish-yellow with black markings in live specimens to reddish-brown with black markings in the ZSI specimens could be a result of preservation.  The current range extension of Anax panybeuson Great Nicobar Island is due to the proximity of the Nicobar group of islands to Sumatra of Indonesia, all part of the Sundabiodiversity hotspot.  Recent studies that documented new odonate species from Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Hämäläinen et al. 1999; Yeh & Veenakumari 2000; Hämäläinen 2002) also emphasisethat more detailed and extensive surveys are required to comprehensively document the odonate fauna of the islands.

 

 

References

 

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Hämäläinen, M., P. Mohanraj & K. Veenakumari(1999). Additions to the Odonata fauna of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Indian Ocean. Notula Odonatologica5(3): 27–29.

Karube, H. (2009). Anax panybeus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 16 May 2012.

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Tsuda, S. (2000). A Distributional List of World Odonata. Osaka, Japan. 430pp.

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