Current Status of the Odonata of Bhutan: A Checklist with Four New Records

AUTHOR: Amit Mitra

ABSTRACT

Specimens of dragonflies were collected from Trashiyangtse and Pemagatshel districts of eastern Bhutan during the months of July and September 2003. One specimen of Neurothemis fulvia was collected on 5thSeptember2004 SamdrupJongkhar district. Altogether 61 specimens of Odonata belonging to 16 species and subspecies under 13 genera and four families were listed during the present study, which revealed four new records of odonates for Bhutan viz., Orthetrum s. sabina, Acisoma p. panorpoides, Brachythemis contaminata and Neurothemis fulvia. An up-to-date checklist of 31 species and subspecies of odonates known till date from Bhutan had also been made. However, since the collection period was too short and didn’t spread over the whole year, the above list of odonata from the concerned localities remained incomplete. The survey did not cover the southern, western and central districts of Bhutan and thus does not represent a complete checklist of Odonates of Bhutan. An extensive Odonatological survey needs to be carried out to explore the rich diversity of these elegant insects and come up with a representative checklist of Odonates for Bhutan.

KEY WORDS:

Bhutan, checklist, dragonfly, new record, Odonata, Pemagatsel, Samdrup Jongkhar, Tashiyangtse

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