[Taxacom] Nature needs names: 60 new dragonflies from Africa

[Ellinor Michel]

[posted on behalf of the primary author, Klaas-Douwe 'KD' B. Dijkstra]

'Dear colleagues,

All awareness, conservation and research of nature starts with the question: which species is that? Names introduce species to humanity. It’s a biologist’s greatest importance today, but just now nature is under historic pressure, such research is getting less support.

We aim to expose this paradox by naming 60 new dragonflies from Africa, increasing the number known by almost 10% at once. All are colourful and conspicuous, representing some of the most sensitive and beautiful of all biodiversity: freshwater, Earth’s most dense and threatened species richness — Africa, the continent that will change most in the 21st century — and dragonflies, the insects that may be among the best gauges of global change.

We hope this message will be heard widely, so please share this as you wish, e.g. on blogs and to the local media, particularly in Africa itself.

Press release: https://goo.gl/KGMsyC
Info and images: https://goo.gl/vRoJSL
Full publication: www.osmylus.com/index.php/downloads<http://www.osmylus.com/index.php/downloads>
Watch discovery of new species in DR Congo: youtu.be/Arr2k7dwzSU<http://youtu.be/Arr2k7dwzSU>

Best wishes, also on behalf of my co-authors Jens and Nico, who have both made their exceptional contributions in their free time!

Klaas-Douwe 'KD' B. Dijkstra
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
science.naturalis.nl/dijkstra<http://science.naturalis.nl/dijkstra>

'