New mayfly species discovered in India

Scientists have found a new species of mayfly in the southern Western Ghats, a mountain range along India's west coast.

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

The new species, called Labiobaetis soldani, "is named in honour of T. Soldan for his substantial contribution in the understanding of the Ephemeroptera of Palaearctic and Oriental realms," researchers reported.

The larvae have light-brown heads with light-yellow antennae, and they grow to be about 4-5 millimetres in length.

Adults are also about five millimetres long and the males and females both lack hind wings.

Labiobaetis soldani is closely related to Labiobaetis pulchellus, which has been described from Sri Lanka in the larval stage.

However, it can be differentiated from all other Labiobaetis species described from the Oriental region by several morphological differences, authors concluded.

The study appeared in the Journal of Insect Science.