Guwahati: Raimona National Park in Assam’s Kokrajhar district is fast emerging as a biodiversity hotspot, following a series of rare dragonfly records from the protected area.
A new study by Arajush Payra, Joel George Philip, Nazrul Islam, Saurabh Mardi, Dr Dipti Thakuria, and Dr Pankaj Koparde, published in Zootaxa, documents multiple significant findings—all from the Raimona landscape.
Adding to the park’s growing scientific importance, a gecko species, Cyrtodactylus raimonaensis, was recently recorded from its fringes. The discovery is notable as it is the first species described after the park’s declaration and the first to be named after Raimona.
The highlight of the dragonfly study is the first-ever record in India of Macromia sombui, a species not reported since its original description from Nepal in 1988. The Raimona record also marks the easternmost known range of the species, which was earlier known only from a single specimen.
The dragonfly was spotted during a field survey conducted in June 2025, marking its rediscovery after nearly 36 years.
Declared a national park on June 5, 2021, Raimona lies in western Assam along the foothills of the Eastern Himalaya. It forms part of a transboundary conservation landscape with Bhutan’s Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary and West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve, covering over 2,400 sq km.
The park spans elevations from about 85 to 1,042 metres and falls within the Gossaigaon subdivision of Kokrajhar district under the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).
The researchers also recorded Macromia cingulata and Macromia calliope flavocolorata for the first time in Northeast India, while Macromia cupricincta has been reinstated in Assam’s species list based on earlier records.
These findings significantly reshape the understanding of dragonfly diversity in the region. Northeast India (excluding Arunachal Pradesh) is known to host around 247 species of odonates, including 36 endemics, while Assam alone supports over 150 species within the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot.
Despite this richness, large parts of the region remain underexplored. Until now, only one species of the genus Macromia—M. moorei—had been reported from Assam and the wider Northeast. With the addition of four species in this study, that number has now increased to five, refining the regional checklist and improving taxonomic clarity.
Interestingly, most of the sightings were made along forest edges near rivers and agricultural fields, particularly in areas close to the Sankosh River.
Several individuals were observed perched on dry twigs a few metres above the ground in secondary forest patches, pointing to the ecological importance of such transitional habitats.
The study also clarifies earlier records by identifying species that had previously been reported only at the genus level.
The research was carried out with support from the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), the Assam Forest Department, Chatur Ullu Lab, and MIT World Peace University.
The authors note that Raimona’s riverine and forest ecosystems support a diverse assemblage of dragonflies and emphasise the need for systematic, long-term surveys in the park and other underexplored areas to better understand species distribution and guide conservation planning.
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