Tramea transmarina
species of insect
Tramea transmarina, commonly known as the red glider or northern glider, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae.
The species occurs across islands of the Pacific, northern Australia and parts of Southeast Asia. The type locality is Fiji.
Taxonomic history
In 1867, Brauer described Tramea transmarina from specimens collected in Fiji. In the same work he also described Tramea samoensis from Samoa, later treated as a synonym of Tramea transmarina.
In 1878, Selys described Tramea euryale from material collected in New Guinea and neighbouring islands. The species was later regarded as closely related to Tramea transmarina.
In 1942, Lieftinck described Tramea propinqua from New Guinea and nearby islands, distinguishing it from Tramea transmarina and Tramea euryale by the extent and shape of the dark hindwing patch and differences in the male secondary genitalia.
Some authorities, including the World Odonata List, now treat Tramea propinqua as a synonym of Tramea transmarina, while others such as the Australian Faunal Directory continue to recognise it as a separate species.
Description
Tramea transmarina is a medium to large dragonfly with dark patches at the base of the hindwings, characteristic of species in the genus Tramea.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Tramea transmarina” as species of insect. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of insect. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2461101. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1867, 1878 and 1942.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Tramea transmarina” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.