New Dragonfly Species Discovered in Assam's Sribhumi District
A new dragonfly species, the 'Long-tailed Boghawker' (Sarasaeschna dosdewaensis), has been discovered in Assam's Sribhumi district. The species was found in the remote forest village of Dosdewa, after which it is named. The discovery was officially described in a research paper published on April 21, 2026, in the peer-reviewed international journal Zootaxa.
Part of a Broader Study
This finding is part of a wider study that reports three new dragonfly species from Northeast India, including two from a remote valley in Arunachal Pradesh and this one from Sribhumi. The research team comprised Shantanu Joshi, Krushnamegh Kunte, Dattaprasad Sawant, Ujwala Pawar, Fahim Khan, Rejoice Gassah, and Vijay Anand Ismavel.
Location and Collection
Researchers located the species along the Dosdewa forest village in Dosdewa Khasi Punjee, near the borders of Mizoram and Tripura. The holotype male specimen was collected on June 3, 2020. The work is closely tied to the Makunda Nature Club, a biodiversity group run by the Makunda Christian Leprosy and General Hospital. Rejoice Gassah, head of the hospital's biodiversity department, photographed and collected the specimen.
Conservation Significance
Dr. Vijay Anand Ismavel, hospital superintendent and founder of the nature club, emphasized the richness of wildlife in Sribhumi's forests but noted persistent pressure from deforestation and trapping. He stated, 'Studies like this one will strengthen the cause of conservation.' The club had previously reported a new ghost moth species, Endoclita makundae, from the same region four years ago.
Ecotourism Boost
Local documentation linked to the discovery has supported ecotourism in Dosdewa, which now attracts birders from across India and provides employment for villagers as guides and homestay hosts. Despite poor road connectivity that cuts off the village during the rainy season, Dosdewa has gained recognition as a biodiversity hotspot. The Makunda Nature Club contributes the largest volume of Assam data to the global citizen science platform iNaturalist.
