A rare Spoon-tailed Duskhawker (Gynacantha basiguttata) dragonfly has been photographed for the first time in Arunachal Pradesh at Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve, marking a significant addition to the state’s biodiversity records.
Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein hailed the discovery as a remarkable milestone in Arunachal’s biodiversity story, underscoring the extraordinary species diversity found across its forests.
The dragonfly was first photographed in October 2024 along the Miao-Vijaynagar Road in the Namdapha landscape. Initially misidentified, subsequent taxonomic verification confirmed the specimen as Gynacantha basiguttata.
This documentation adds to India’s Odonata checklist, which includes dragonflies and damselflies, and highlights the vast biodiversity in Arunachal Pradesh that remains to be scientifically recorded.
Located in Changlang district, Namdapha National Park is renowned for its rich flora and fauna and continues to yield significant wildlife records. The latest finding reinforces the ecological importance of Namdapha and Arunachal Pradesh’s position as one of India’s biodiversity-rich regions.
