''Euphaea dispar'', Nilgiri torrent dart, is a species of
damselfly
Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies (which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Epiprocta) but are usually smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the win ...
in the family
Euphaeidae
Euphaeidae, sometimes incorrectly named Epallagidae and commonly called gossamerwings, is a family of damselflies in the odonate superfamily Calopterygoidea. The family is small, consisting of around 78 species living species in nine genera occu ...
.
This species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the Western Ghats, known to occur only in north of the
Palghat Gap
Palakkad Gap or Palghat Gap is a low mountain pass in the Western Ghats between Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Palakkad in the state of Kerala. It has an average elevation of with a width of . The pass is located between th ...
;
Dakshina Kannada
Dakshina Kannada district is located in the states and territories of India, state of Karnataka in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangaluru. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east and the ...
,
Udupi
Udupi () also known as 'Odipu' () is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Udupi district, and one of the fastest-growing cities in Karnataka. Udupi is one of the top tourist attractions in Karnataka an ...
and
Kodagu
Kodagu district () (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative List of districts of Karnataka, district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State at which point it was merged ...
It is a medium-sized damselfly with black head and brown-capped pale grey eyes. Its thorax is black, marked with bright ochreous-red antehumeral and humeral stripes. Lateral sides of the thorax in the base is red. Its all legs are yellow at base and remaining segments are dark. Wings are narrower than '' Euphaea cardinalis''. Fore-wings are transparent, black on the extreme apices. Hind-wings are transparent; but nearly one third of the wings from the apices are broadly black. Abdomen is bright red up to the segment 6; apical third of segment 6 to the end segment are black. Anal appendages are black. The males of this species can be easily distinguished from other '' Euphaea'' species by the small black tips on apices of fore-wings.
Female is short and robust; the ochreous-red of male is replaced with yellow colors. All wings are transparent, infused with black in adults. Abdomen is black with yellow lateral stripes up to segment 6. The yellow lateral stripes continued to segment 7. Segment 8 has a narrow and 9 has a broad yellow apical annule, covering dorsal half.
They breed in streams flowing through evergreen forests. Usually the males are found perched on the twigs hanging above the water or on the rocks.
See also
*
List of odonates of India
The following is a list of the odonata, dragonflies and damselflies found in India.
Aeshnidae
* ''Aeshna''
** ''Aeshna flavifrons'' Lichtenstein, 1976
** ''Aeshna juncea mongolica''
** ''Aeshna mixta mixta'' Latreille, 1805
** ''Aeshna petalur ...