New species of mayfly discovered in peninsular India

mayflyWashington, July 29 : Scientists have discovered a new species of mayfly in the southern Western Ghats in peninsular India.

The new species has been named Labiobaetis soldani in honor of Dr. T. Soldan for his substantial contribution to the understanding of the Ephemeroptera of Palaearctic and Oriental realms.

Labiobaetis soldani is closely related to Labiobaetis pulchellus, which has been described from Sri Lanka in the larval stage, and have light-brown heads with light-yellow antennae, and they grow to be about 4-5 millimeters in length.

This is the first time that any mayfly belonging to the genus Labiobaetis has been collected in peninsular India.

The findings were published in the Journal of Insect Science. (ANI)