New Dragonfly Species With Red and Black Abdomen Discovered in Taiwan

Posted on October 18, 2013

Taiwan Today reports that a new dragonfly species has been discovered in Taiwan. The previously unknown dragonfly species was announced by the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute (TFRI).

The dragonfly was found in a swampy area near the TFRI Lianhuachih Research Center. The new species closely resembles another dragonfly species, which is why it took so long for it to be identified as a unique species.

The dragonfly, Sympetrum nantouensis, is 3 to 4 centimeters long and has a striking red abdomen with black markings. A paper on the dragonfly was published here in the journal, Zootaxa.

Several images of the dragonfly can be found on GBIF.

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