Described from Pookode Lake in Wayanad district, Kerala state, southern India and possibly endemic there although some unconfirmed records exist from within the surrounding Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.

Pookode is a small freshwater lake surrounded by forest with a surface area of around 2 km² and is the source of the Panamaram River, a tributary within the much larger Kabani system. Its maximum depth is around 6.5 metres and in marginal areas dense patches of water lilies can be found.