Palaiargia ernstmayri is a species of broad-winged damselfly in the family Platycnemididae.World Odonata List; 25-04-2011Orr A.G., Kalkman V.J., Richards S.J. 2013. Four new species of Palaiargia Förster, 1903 (Odonata: Platycnemididae) from New Guinea with revised distribution records for the genus. International Journal of Odonatology 16, p. 309-325 The species is endemic to the Arfak Mountains of New Guinea, with only four observations to date.Langbroek M., 2018. A new record of the damselfly Palaiargia ernstmayri (Odonata: Platycnemididae) in the Arfak mountains of New Guinea. Notulae Odonatologicae 9(1), p. 1-5.
Taxonomy and systematics The scientific name of the species was first published in 1972 by Lieftinck. Lieftinck based the species on specimens in museum collections collected in 1928 at the village of Siwi by Ernst Mayr, and in 1957 at the village of Sururai by Hardy.Lieftinck, M.A. 1972. New taxa in the Papuasian genus Palaiargia Förster, with a key to the identification of species. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 19, p. 245-256 The species has been reported only twice more, by S. Lamberts near Mokwam in 2011 and by Marco Langbroek near Syoubri in 2016.
Description Males of the species are almost completely dark, with two striking red stripes on the breast and red spots between the eyes. The lower abdomen appendages are hook-shaped.Kalkman V., Orr A., 2013. Field Guide to the damselflies of New Guinea. Brachytron 16 Supplement, p. 3-120.
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