Ceriagrion sp. nov., whose full name is not yet disclosed, will be the fiftieth species in the genus, a genus present on all continents except the Americas.
Sarawak previously had only two, C. cerinorubellum (here on the Malay Peninsula) and C. bellona, which I have likely never seen and which resembles C. chaoi (here in Vietnam). Which is to say that with its red abdomen and green thorax, it looks like neither of the other two.
We encountered it on two occasions in the same park (we were in a canoe) at the edge of the forest in the same black, peaty, and acidic waters. The second time, on March 29, I took quite a few photos, of which I only kept the one above; the reason is simple: I had to use my backup body with a very low-end lens intended for landscapes and street photography, as I had fallen into the water the day before, in those very same waters, and neither my camera body nor my lens appreciated it.
Known since at least 2015, it has been described and has a name (starting with an "r"), but as I understand it, all new Malaysian species must receive approval for their naming from the authorities, and this takes a long time, especially since an official peer-reviewed publication is required afterwards. Reference to the species can be found in this document by Rory Dow (1) which already dates back to 2021.
It is endemic to Sarawak and Brunei.
Etymology Ceriagrion r. sp. nov.
In Ceriagrion, we find the classic Agrion, established by Fabricius (1775) to designate all Zygoptera, which comes from a Greek word meaning "wild", no doubt to indicate, according to Fliedner (2006), that these insects are found in fields and not in a domestic environment. The first part of the genus name comes from a Latin word, Cerinus, meaning "wax-coloured", related, according to (2), to the yellowish or greenish colouration. Personally, I think it is a matter of texture rather than colour; for me, it is truly the waxy appearance of the thorax that was chosen to name the genus.
As for the "r", we are awaiting further information.
Ceriagrion r.. sp. nov. male, Sarawak, Taman Negara Maludam, 28/03/2025
1- Dow, 2021 – AN ANNOTATED CHECKLIST OF THE ODONATA (INSECTA) KNOWN FROM SARAWAK WITH RECORDS TO DISTRICT LEVEL – Sarawak Museum Journal · January 2021
2- The Naming of Australia’s Dragonflies, Ian Endersby & Heinrich Fliedner, Busybird publishing.