Rare Dragonfly Reappears in India After 110 Years

A dragonfly missing from scientific records for 110 years has returned to India's skies, reminding us that some species can survive quietly when given the right habitat.

Four citizen scientists spotted the long-tailed duskhawker in Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh during October 2024. The dragonfly, scientifically named Gynacantha khasiaca, hadn't been documented in India since 1914 when it was first discovered in the former Abor Hills.

The rediscovery happened 600 kilometers east of its original location. On a cloudy October morning, researchers watched a male dragonfly rapidly patrol the roadside, hovering and defending its territory with the aggressive precision dragonflies are famous for.

This particular species is a master of flight, equipped with compound eyes containing thousands of tiny lenses that provide nearly 360-degree vision. Like other dragonflies, it can hover in place, change direction instantly, and even fly backwards.

The formal documentation appeared this month in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. Scientists believe the species may have been thriving in Arunachal's forests all along, simply unnoticed by researchers.

Why This Inspires

Dragonflies serve as living thermometers for environmental health because they need clean water and undisturbed habitats to survive. Finding this species after more than a century tells us that Namdapha National Park has maintained the pristine conditions these delicate creatures require.

India hosts 504 known dragonfly and damselfly species, with about 110 recorded in Arunachal Pradesh alone. The state's incredible biodiversity makes it a hotspot for discoveries like this one.

Namdapha National Park ranks among India's richest wildlife landscapes. The discovery highlights why protecting these areas matters for species we haven't even counted yet.

At a time when extinction stories dominate headlines, the long-tailed duskhawker offers something rarer: proof that nature can endure when we give it space to exist.