About Ponmudi Hills:
- Ponmudi translates to ‘Golden Hill’ or ‘Golden Peak’ is located in the state of Kerala.
- It is part of the Western Ghats mountain range that runs parallel to the Arabian Sea and is at an altitude of 1100 metres above sea level.
- The hills are a part of the Agasthyamalai landscape, at the southernmost tip of the Western Ghats.
Key facts about the new species of damselfly:
- It is named Cliffside Bambootail (Phylloneura rupestris).
- It belongs to a group called bambootails, so named because of their long abdomen that resembles bamboo stalks.
- It lays eggs in the moss beds in seasonal rills that flow over rock cliffs.
- The discovery is significant because, for over 160 years, the genus Phylloneura was considered monotypic, with a single described species, the Myristica Bambootail
- Myristica Bambootail’s population is associated with myristica swamps and hence is known by its common name Myristica Bambootail.
- It has remained the sole described species of the genus Phylloneura and is considered near-threatened as per the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- It is endemic to the Western Ghats and has been recorded only in the area between the Nilgiris Hills and Sharavathi Valley, north of the Palghat Gap.
