Rare insect sighted in Seshachalam
A Tirupati photographer has clicked black percher, a dragon fly species, recently
A.D. Rangarajan concern’ in view of its wide
TIRUPATI prevalence in southern Eura-
Black percher or black sia and the whole of Africa.
ground skimmer (Dipla- The insect has been sight-
codes lefebvrii), a species of ed in forest locations of Kar-
dragon fly, was sighted for nataka and coastal Andhra
the first time in the Sesha- Pradesh, but this appears to
chalam Hill ranges recently. be its maiden appearance in
It belongs to the phylum ar- the Seshachalam ranges. It is
thropoda, class insecta and known to move near forest
order odonata. streams.
Keen interest Merit certificate
O. Inesh Siddhartha, a Tiru- Mr. Siddhartha has received
pati-based wildlife photogra- a merit certificate during the
pher, clicked the species in the recent Republic Day cele-
the forest area abutting the Up close: The dragonfly ‘Black percher’ sighted for the first brations in Chittoor for hav-
city recently. The B.Sc. Mi- time in the Seshachalam hill ranges. O. INESH SIDDHARTHA
*
ing scored first in the wildlife
crobiology graduate from photography in the district
Sree Vidyanikethan group “I have seen many insects According to the Interna- by capturing the image of a
started photography as a in the forest, but chose this tional Union for Conserva- red dragonfly in the past.
hobby, developed a keen in- black dragonfly as I some- tion of Nature and Natural Though the black percher
terest towards macro pho- how felt it was rare. It took Resources (IUCN) Red List of is not a rarity, he feels this
tography and moved into the four and a half hours for me threatened species, Black documentation will go a long
woods for an occasional to get a close view,” Mr. Sidd- Ground Skimmer was la- way in aiding further re-
click. hartha told The Hindu. belled in 2016 as of ‘least search on the species.
