Bull. Natl. Mus. Nat. Sci., Ser. A, 41(3), pp. 163–169, August 21, 2015

Sarasaeschna gaofengensis sp. nov. (Odonata, Aeshnidae),a New Dragonﬂy Species Described from Yunnan, China
Wen-Chi Yeh1, Takuya Kiyoshi2 and Min Wang3
1
Division of Forest Protection, Taiwan Forestry Research InstituteNo. 53, Nanhai Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City 10066, Taiwan
E-mail: wcyeh@tfri.gov.tw
2
Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science
4–1–1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305–0005, Japan
E-mail: kiyoshi@kahaku.go.jp
3
Department of Entomology, College of Natural Resources and Environment,
South China Agricultural University
Guangzhou, Guangdong 510642, China
E-mail: theclini168@qq.com(Received 1 June 2015; accepted 24 June 2015)

Abstract Sarasaeschna gaofengensis Yeh and Kiyoshi sp. nov. (holotype male, Gaofeng, Yunnan, China) is characterized by razor-like male cerci and widely divaricated epiproct with attenuated apical forks. It possesses a vesica spermalis with ﬂagella adjoining ventral margin of its apicalsegment and is considered to belong to the Sarasaeschna pryeri-group. In the pryeri-group, S.
gaofengensis shares the razor-like male cerci with S. tsaopiensis Yeh and Chen described from Taiwan, to which it is believed to be closely related.
Key words : Aeshnidae, Sarasaeschna, pryeri-group, new species, Yunnan, China

Introduction
The genus Sarasaeschna Karube and Yeh is agroup of dragonﬂies belonging to the subfamily
Gomphaeschninae which has a basal position
within the family Aeshnidae (von Ellenrieder,
2002). Species of Sarasaeschna are best diagnosed by their apically divaricate male epiproct
and tumid and robust vesica spermalis with elongate and recurved horn- or sickle-like ﬂagella on
apical segment. The closest relative of Sarasaeschna is the Nearctic genus Gomphaeschna Selys(Karube and Yeh, 2001; von Ellenrieder, 2002)
which also shares the above-mentioned features
and was considered to be the most primitive of
the extant aeshnids based on fossil records(Wighton and Wilson, 1986). Karube and Yeh(2001) recognized three species-groups in Sarasaeschna, viz. pyanan-, pryeri- and niisatoigroups, based mainly on vesica spermalis struc-tures.
So far, Sarasaeschna includes 16 species(Schorr and Paulson, 2015; Yeh et al., 2015)
chieﬂy distributed in East Asia and the Indo-Chinese area of the Oriental region (Karube and Yeh,2001). Three species have been reported from
China, namely S. sabre (Wilson and Reels) from
Hainan (Wilson and Reels, 2001), S. niisatoi(Karube) from Hainan (Wilson et al., 2008) andS. zhuae Xu from Fujian (Xu, 2008). These species are not closely related to one anotherbelonging to different species-groups, with S.
sabre in the pryeri-group, S. niisatoi in the niisatoi-group, and S. zhuae in the pyanan-group(Karube and Yeh, 2001; Xu, 2008). In this article, the authors describe a new species of thepryeri-group collected from Yunnan in southwestern China where no representative of Sarasaeschna has been recorded before. The authors
also compared the new species with the closely

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related S. tsaopiensis Yeh and Chen from Taiwan
with discussion on recognized differential features between them and between S. gaofengensis
and the other known Chinese Sarasaeschna.
Material and methods
The holotype male was collected with asweeping net in the forest and air-dried in a paper
envelope without further treatment. Description
was based on inspection of the untreated specimen with a 10X magniﬁer and a 45X stereomicroscope. Images shown in the illustrations lessthan 2X life-size were taken using a Nikon D600
SLR digital camera connected to a Micro-Nikkor
60 mm f/2.8 lens via extension tubes or, if morethan 2X, to a special Macro-Nikkor 35 mm f/4.5
lens via a Nikon PB-4 bellow. In cases whereimage-stacking was necessary to increase depthof ﬁeld, the Stackshot automated focus device
from CognisysTM was used to take multiple shotsof each single image. The multiple images werethen imported to HeliconTM software for stacking
to get one clear image. Figures 2–4 have been
manipulated in AcrobatTM Photoshop CS toenhance the faded pale colour by intensifying
saturation. Morphological terminology follows
mainly Sugimura et al. (2001). Terms of abdominal maculation are those of Walker (1912).
Abbreviations: S1–10＝abdominal segments
1–10. AD＝antero-dorsal. MD＝medio-dorsal.
PD＝postero-dorsal. AL＝antero-lateral. AML＝
antero-lateral＋medio-lateral. PL＝postero-lateral.
Description
Sarasaeschna gaofengensis
Yeh and Kiyoshi sp. nov.
(Figs. 1–6, 9–11)

Material examined. Holotype: ♂, 11–14-VI2013; Gaofeng, 2,078 m, Lufeng County, Chux-

iong City, Yunnan, China, leg. M. Owada and M.
Wang. Holotype to be deposited at South China
Agricultural University (SCAU).
Etymology. The new species is named after
its type locality Gaofeng, a montane country in
Lufeng County of Chuxiong Yi-people Autonomous Prefecture in central Yunnan, China.
Lufeng is famous for its rich preservation ofancient fossils, especially of dinosaurs and primates.
Diagnosis. Body medium-sized and black or
dark brown with yellowish markings. Labrum
largely yellowish with dark spot at middle;
T-mark on postfrons with broad basal stalk muchwider than 1/2 of vertex; vertical pale stripes
well separated from dorsal pale spots on mesepisternum by 1/2 width of vertex; medial spot on
dorsal side of S2 stripe-like and indistinct; S3–7
with sub-triangular and closely adjoining PD
spots; male cerci elongate and razor-like as in S.
tsaopiensis; male epiproct widely and deeply
notched with apical forks strongly attenuated.
Holotype (male). HEAD: Labium yellowish
brown, median lobe yellow at base. Labrum yellowish, dark brown at margin and middle, anterior margin broadly concave. Anteclypeus yellowish brown; postclypeus yellow, lower margin
yellowish brown. Antefrons yellow and smoothat lower 1/3, black and wrinkled at upper 2/3(Fig. 4), with a weak ridge on dorsal margin.
Postfrons medially depressed and black, laterally
marked with paired transverse yellow spots being
continuous from lower yellow area of antefrons
and formed a black T-mark; stalk of T-markbroad, much wider than 1/2 of vertex (Fig. 3).
Antenna, vertex, and occiput black. Vertex tumid
and obscurely reticulate, about 1/3 as wide as
frons. Black hairs scattered on dorsal portion ofhead, absent on wrinkled area of frons, longer
and denser on postfrons, vertex, and occiput.
PTEROTHORAX: Black with yellow markings and covered by long brown hairs; hairs

Figs. 1–8. Body patterns of Sarasaeschna gaofengensis Yeh and Kiyoshi sp. nov. and S. tsaopiensis. 1–6, S.
gaofengensis, 7–8, S. tsaopiensis. 1, body, lateral; 2 and 8, abdomen, dorsal view; 3 and 7, head and pterothorax, dorsal view; 4, head, frontal view; 5, vesica spermalis, upside down in lateral view; 6, vesica spermalis,
ventral view.

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Wen-Chi Yeh, Takuya Kiyoshi and Min Wang

Figs. 9–14. Anal appendages of Sarasaeschna gaofengensis Yeh and Kiyoshi sp. nov. and S. tsaopiensis. 9–11, S.
gaofengensis, 12–14, S. tsaopiensis. 9 and 12, cerci, dorsal view; 10 and 13, epiproct, ventral view; 11 and 14,
cerci, lateral view.

Sarasaeschna gaofengensis sp. nov. from Yunnan, China

denser on mesepisternum and metepimeron.
Mesepisternum with an oblique vertical stripe
and a dorsal spot; stripe bar-shaped and divergent
ventrally from the opposite, ventral end reachinganterior margin of mesepisternum; dorsal spotrounded and much broader than stripe, separated
from stripe by a distance about equal to 1/2
width of vertex (Fig. 3). Stripe of mesepimeronrounded at ventral end, of uniform width along
ventral 3/4 and gradually narrowing along dorsal
1/4. Metepisternum with a medial and a dorsal
spot, medial one narrow and vertical, dorsal one
triangular. Metepimeron yellow at posterior 3/4.
Mesinfrapisternum largely yellow, metinfrapisternum with a spot at posterior half (Fig. 1). Legs
black.
WINGS: Hyaline, veins black, yellowish
brown at basal extremity. Pterostigma dark reddish-brown, braced in all wings and underlaid by
1.5–2.5 cells. Venation simple, triangles threecelled,
supra-triangles
andsub-triangles
uncrossed, anal triangles three-celled and anal
loops four-celled; both Rspl and Mspl onerowed, at most with 1 or 2 cells divided into
upper and lower parts; costal cross-vein numbers
8 : 15 : 17 : 8 in forewings and 8 : 12 : 11 : 9 in hindwings.
ABDOMEN: Black with yellow markings, S1and S2 tumid, S3 moderately constricted at middle. Abdomen spindle-shaped from distal half of
S3 to S7, slender along S8, and very slightly
broadened from distal half of S9 to S10, widest
and parallel-sided on S4–6, attenuated toward
apex at S7, parallel-sided again on S8; length of
S9＋S10 about equal to S8. Dorsally, S2 with alarge triangular AD, paired sub-rounded MD,
paired sub-rounded PD spots and a tiny medial
stripe between MD and PD spots; AD spot of S3
small, PD spots of S3–7 sub–triangular andclosely adjoining, same-sized on S3–5, smallest
and half-sized to those of S3 on S7 (Fig. 2). Laterally, S1 with large and obscure spot, S2 withrectangular AL and two small PL spots, AL spotcovering auricle (Fig. 1); S3 with triangular AL
spot; AML spot distinct on S4 and S5 andobscure on S6. Ventrally, S4–6 with paired oval

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spots. Auricles well developed and semicircular,
protruding backward and armed with two rowsof tiny dark denticles on posterior margin. Middorsal carina well present on apical half of S3 to
S7. Cerci long and razor-like in dorsal view, 2.2
times as long as S10, basal 1/2 slender, apical 1/2
abruptly broadened, apical part convex andslightly dilated (Fig. 9); lateral proﬁle of cerci
roughly sinuate at dorsal margin and gently
curved ventrally at apex (Fig. 11). Epiproct gently curved dorsally and 1/2 as long as cerci,
widely and deeply notched apically with twoforks diverging at about 90°; apical notch withwidth 2.7 times as long as depth and 1/4 as longas epiproct (Fig. 10).
VESICA SPERMALIS: Tumid and robust,
apical segment broadly concave laterally withbaso-ventral sclerotized plates pyramid-shaped.
Flagella broad and ﬂat, gently twisted throughwhole length and directed toward 3rd segment(Fig. 6). In lateral view, ﬂagella adjoining ventral
margin of apical segment as in other species of
the Sarasaeschna pryeri-group (Fig. 5).
Female: Unknown.
Measurements (mm). Holotype: ♂ abdomen＋
cerci 43 mm, hindwing 38 mm, pterostigma (forewing: hindwing) 2.5 : 2.7 mm.
Discussion
Judging from its vesica spermalis morphology,
S. gaofengensis is here recognized as a memberof the Sarasaeschna pryeri-group. Within thisgroup, it is most similar to S. tsaopiensis both inbody pattern and shape of male cerci, which arerazor-like. However, male cerci of S. gaofengensis are relatively shorter with the basal stalk andapical expansion about equal in length; in S.
tsaopiensis the apical expansion is two times aslong as the basal stalk. Shape of epiproct is also
different in these two species, being shorter andmore widely divaricate apically in S. gaofengensis but more elongate and with less divergent
branches in S. tsaopiensis. In body pattern, S.
gaofengensis has a paler face, with a yellowish
brown clypeus, whereas clypeus is black or dark

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Wen-Chi Yeh, Takuya Kiyoshi and Min Wang

brown in S. tsaopiensis. Other features of color
pattern that allow distinguishing S. tsaopiensis
from S. gaofengensis (those of S. gaofengensis inparenthesis) include: vertex with paired yellow
spots (spots absent); vertical stripe on mesepisternum narrower and longer, connected to dorsal
mesepisternal spot or separated from it by muchless than 1/3 of width of vertex (stripe wider andshorter, and separated from dorsal spot by about
1/2 of width of vertex); AD spot of S2 shorter(longer); medial spot on S2 is distinct and dotshaped (indistinct and stripe-shaped); PD spots
on S2 transversely elongate (sub-rounded); PD
spots of S3–5 are roundly shaped (triangularly
shaped).
Besides of the different conﬁguration of maleanal appendages, S. gaofengensis differs from theother known Chinese Sarasaeschna species in its
body color pattern. Saraseschna niisatoi can beseparated from S. gaofengensis by having a reddish brown postclypeus, transversely elliptical
MD spots on S2, and additional MD spots on
S3–6. Sarasaeschna sabre is characterized byhaving a complete vertical stripe on mesepisternum which is not divided into a ventral stripe
and a dorsal spot, and reduced pale markings on
dorsum of S2 with only drop-like AD and paired
round PD spots; considering the similarly sickleshaped male cerci and the reduced pale markings
on S2, this species is closely related to S. chiangjinlii Chen and Yeh recently described from
Taiwan (Chen and Yeh, 2014). Sarasaeschna
zhuae differs from S. gaofengensis as follows(character states of S. gaofengensis in parenthesis): the basal stalk of the T-mark on postfrons isabout 1/2 as wide as vertex (much wider than1/2); the vertical stripe of mesepisternum is connected to the dorsal spot (distinctly separated
from each other), MD spots on S2 are rectangular (sub-rounded); and AL spot on S2 connects
posteriorly with a small obscure medio-dorsal
spot (without the medio-dorsal spot).
Species of Sarasaeschna are usually distributed only in a restricted area. They generally
occur at wetlands or small water bodies in wellforested areas of remote mountains which are

difﬁcult to access. The potential diversity of thegenus is suspected to be high as evidenced by the
recent discovery of two additional new species
from Taiwan (Chen and Yeh, 2014; Yeh et al,2015), a relatively small island where ﬁve Sarasaeschna species have been recorded so far.
According to Chen and Yeh (2014) different species of Sarasaeschna in Taiwan were loosely
segregated from each other in different altitudinal ranges, and two or even three species could
coexist at the same site in overlapping zones withmutual differentiation in micro-habitat utilization, or to a less extent, different periods of adultactivity. Considering the above facts and also themassive area and diverse habitats of China, thepresent status of Sarasaeschna in the country,
where so far only four species have beenreported, most likely does not reﬂect the real
diversity and distribution of the genus.
It is strongly suspected that more Sarasaeschna species will be discovered from China,
provided that a proper search effort in well-forested mountains is conducted. In higher altitudinal or latitudinal areas with cool and wet
weather, a clue to ﬁnd these species is the presence of bogs with Sphagnum mosses, which areusually good indicators for the potential habitats
of Sarasaeschna in Taiwan (pers. obs.).
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Dr. N. von Ellenrieder for her critical review of the manuscript.
Thanks are also due to Dr. Mamoru Owada forhis kindness to provide the valuable specimen forstudy.
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