A new tarsophlebiid dragonfly from the Lower Cretaceous of western Liaoning, NE China (Insecta: Odonatoptera, Panodonata)

A well-preserved dragonfly Turanophlebia liaoningensis sp. nov., belonging to the family Tarsophlebiidae, is described from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation in the Huangbanjigou Village, western Liaoning, China. This is the second species of Turanophlebia recovered in China, although it was widely distributed in Eurasia during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Turanophlebia liaoningensis sp. nov. differs from all other species of Turanophlebia in the hindwing pterostigma covering 6–8 cells and cubito-anal area with five rows of cells between CuA and the posterior wing margin. The discovery provides new insight into the biodiversity and evolution of Tarsophlebiidae.