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Language: English
From the introduction:
"The present study initiated with the sorting out and identification of the diversified Odonate collection accumulated at the Eastern Regional Station of the Zoological Survey of India, Shillong, through surveys conducted by difierent survey parties over a period from 1959-1971. Subsequently having realised the richness of faunal composition of Meghalaya, a politically defined state of Eastern India that comprises of the Khasi, Jayantia and Garo Hills of erstwhile Assam province, it was soon felt necessary to study the same in a comprehensive manner.
To augment the existing collection, a number of fresh surveys were then undertaken to different parts of the state over a period from 1971-1979. The resulting total collection comprised 112 Odonate species and subspecies under 68 genera. Extensive consultation of available literature on earlier contribution on fauna of the region revealed that, among the known species quite a few were never reported from the area, and for a majority of them existing descriptions, in particular the illustrations, were inadequate or even erroneous. Consequently adequate illustrations of different body parts of taxonomic importance were prepared for all the species studied to incorporate in this contribution, together with additional descriptions, wherever felt necessary, to augment existing descriptions.
Six species and one subspecies turned out to be new to science while nine of the rest could not be definitely identified either because of nonavailability of males or because of paucity of materials. The genus Nihonogomphus Oguma has been recorded for the first time from India and 48 known species recorced for the first time from the state of Meghalaya. All genera studied have been described in detail and running keys have been provided for the material studied. Thirty-five species and subspecies recorded earlier from the state were however not represented in the collection studied. An attempt has been made to analyse the distribution pattern of the Odonate fauna now known from Meghalaya at the end."
