Aethriamanta brevipennis (Scarlet adjutant) is a species of red skimmer dragonfly from the family Libellulidae. Its hindwing may measure up to 23 mm in length. This species can easily be distinguished from other red dragonflies by its small size, short and wide abdomen, dark brown hairy thorax and dark brown eyes. Its wings have an open venation with a dark brown patch and yellow border at the base of the hindwings (Orr, 2005; Tang et al., 2010).

Unlike males, females are light golden brown with dark brown rings on each segment of the abdomen. The distal end of the hind thighs is reddish in males and yellowish in females. The Scarlet adjutant is distributed in South and Southeast Asia where it inhabits weedy ponds close to forests (Tang et al., 2010).