Assessment of diversity of Odonata fauna in selected sites of Purba Barddhaman district, West Bengal, India

Abstract

Purba-Barddhaman, a newly emerged district of West Bengal was surveyed for listing its odonate diversity. The district is located in southern West Bengal, and two major rivers, Damodar and Ajay, run through it. It also has a lot of small rivers, perineal and seasonal water bodies, grasslands, marshes, and agricultural fields, making it a great place for odonates. Five different sites of the district were surveyed by direct search and opportunistic sighting methods for a period of two years (March 2021 to February 2023) and odonate diversity was listed. We have found a total of 47 species belonging to 35 genera and six families from this district. The most diverse family was Libellulidae, with 24 species. A few major findings from this study were Macrogomphus montanus, Platygomphus dolabratus, Lathrecista asiatica, Libellago indica, and Agriocnemis kalinga. This is the first systematic study of odonates from this district, and it illustrates the value of this densely populated district for further exploration due to its high agricultural fertility.