Scarlet Adjutant Aethriamanta brevipennis

Despite its military-inspired common name, this brilliantly scarlet dragonfly is anything but rigid in where it settles. Found across South and Southeast Asia and the Solomon Islands, its scattered distribution across vast ocean distances suggests remarkable dispersal abilities. For such a relatively small insect, reaching the Solomon Islands is genuinely impressive — it requires crossing water barriers that most insects simply cannot survive. The sheer geographic range of this striking red flyer makes it a true transoceanic wanderer.