Open Access

Vladimir E. Skvortsov, Natalya Y. Snegovaya

• Two new Cordulegaster species are described and illustrated by drawings, photographs and SEM images. The first one, C. plagionyx sp. nov., was discovered in NW Azerbaijan in a low-mountain forest landscape; the second, C. nachitschevanica sp. nov., occurs in the subalpine zone of Nakhichevan AR, south of the main territory of Azerbaijan. Both new taxa look generally similar to C. insignis Schneider, 1845; however, each of them reveals unique features and distinctive combinations of characters that set them apart from other species of the genus. Both new species exhibits new types of sex dimorphism previously unknown in Cordulegaster. Some traits related to the structure of male appendages and important details of colouration prevent both C. plagionyx sp. nov. and C. nachitschevanica sp. nov., from being reliably classified under any of two widely accepted groups of species within the genus Cordulegaster: the boltonii-group and the bidentata-group.