''Vestalis apicalis'', or the black-tipped forest glory, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

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 ...

belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Calopterygidae Calopterygidae is a Family (biology), family of damselfly, damselflies, in the suborder Zygoptera. They are commonly known as the broad-winged damselflies, demoiselles, or jewelwings. These rather large damselflies have wingspans of 50–80 ...

. It is found in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

Subspecies

''V. apicalis apicalis'' is commonly found in the hill streams of Western Ghats. Two more subspecies are recognised; ''V. a. nigrescens'' Fraser 1929 from

and ''V. a. submontana'' Fraser 1934 from

. Records of ''V. a. submontana'' are from the Nilgiri Hills and

Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats is a mountain range that stretches along the East Coast of India, eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. Covering an area of , it traverses the states and union territories of India, states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Prade ...

. ''V. a. nigrescens'' is confined to

, where it appears to be quite widely distributed. ''V. a. submontana'' is now considered as a separate species ''

Vestalis submontana ''Vestalis submontana'' is a species of damselfly belonging to the family (biology), family Calopterygidae. It is principally found in the Western Ghats of India, with some records further east. Frederic Charles Fraser described two new subspeci ...

''.

Description and habitat

It is a large metallic emerald-green colored damselfly with brown capped yellowish green eyes. The apices of all wings are broadly tipped with blackish-brown. Female is similar to the male; but dull colors and the apical marking usually paler and less sharply defined. It breeds in forest streams. Commonly seen as a group rest among bushes in forest paths and shades together with '' Vestalis gracilis''.

References

External links

Calopterygidae Insects described in 1873 {{Calopterygoidea-stub

Subspecies

Description and habitat

See also

References

External links