Palaeosynthemis opaca sp. nov., a new dragonfly from Papua New Guinea (Anisoptera: Synthemistidae)

A new species of the synthemistid genus Palaeosynthemis is described from the northern slopes of Papua New Guinea’s central cordillera. It is distinguished from all congeners by having females with large, nearly black patches at the bases of both wings. The male is most similar to P. cervula and P. feronia, but it differs from those species in having superior anal appendages less than three times as long as S10, basally enlarged and otherwise unarmed vs basally not enlarged (feronia) and almost four times as long as S10 and armed (cervula). Characters of the adults (both sexes) are illustrated and the affinities of the species are discussed.