Odonata checklist of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala State, Southern India

Abstract

A preliminary study of the odonate fauna of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, southern India was carried out from August 2020 to November 2020. Ponds, streams, and swamps in the sanctuary were sampled using Visual Encounter Surveys (VES). A total of 84 species (49 dragon ies and 35 damsel ies) from 11 families were recorded, out of which 13 are endemic to the Western Ghats. Orthetrum pruinosum was found to be the most common species in the sanctuary. Indolestes pulcherrimus, an endemic species with no recent records, is being reported for the rst time with photographs from the wild. The highest number of species was recorded in the ponds (56), followed by streams (46) and swamps (33). However, the number of endemic species was highest in the streams (8), followed by swamps (3) and ponds (2).