Crocothemis sanguinolenta new for Iran-an example of influx of African Odonata across the Strait of Hormuz (Odonata: Libellulidae)

On 14-vii-2018, Crocothemis sanguinolenta (Burmeister, 1839) was found in a ditch with clear, cold, fast flowing water near Khabr in Kerman, southern Iran (28.7241 degrees N, 56.3298 degrees E; 1979 m a.s.l.). A male was observed perching on a stone in the water and a pair in the wheel was collected. To our knowledge C. sanguinolenta is new for Iran and new for Asia outside of the Arabian Peninsula and the Levant. As winters are cold in the Hazaran Mountain region, reproduction may fail. We speculate that both C. sanguinolenta and Zygonyx torridus regularly establish bridgeheads across the Strait of Hormuz between Oman and southern Iran, supported by favourable weather during summer.