Mexican species
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Work in progress (Jan 2026):
It was my plan to use last winter to work on the European species accounts, but then I decided to prepare all my butterfly photos from Mexico, and then found photos of three different dragonflies. Glad and surprised that I had taken them, but also instantly regretting that I didn't pick up this interest while still living in the country. I don't know if I'll ever return to Mexico, but hoping that I will, I felt inspired and worked my way through the available species lists and can now present them online - here and as pdf's for download. The main resources I've used to start out with, are the one maintained by Dennis Paulson at Puget Sound Museum of Natural History and the Mexican version of the iNaturalist site, where most Mexicans put their records. However, both resources are, in places, somewhat confusing concerning which species should be in which state lists, but it is an overall good starting point. Kathy Biggs is maintaining a site about the dragonflies of Jalisco from where you can also find species maps just like the ones I'm presenting here at my site. My material is overall more readable, though, but she has added brief species description to her species account why she has information that I've still not added here (but will in the future). I think the knowledge about the Mexican dragonflies is still much in the growing and the state lists will likely be expanding in the following years, as the interest for this fantastic group of insects grows. Still, I think it is already obvious that the diversity matches that of the birds, with the most species-rich regions being around the Tehuantepec isthmus (Chiapas, Oaxaca and Veracruz) and next West Central Mexico centered around Jalisco. Map showing the species I've seen here. State lists updated per June 2026. |
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| Species per state | |||
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0-30
31-60
61-90
91-120
121-150
151-180
181-210
211-240
241-270
271-300
301-330
330 <
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| Show explanation | |||
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Colima (col) 109 Species (1 Registered) |
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| Total | Registered | ||
| Mexican endemics | |||
| True Species that normally do not occur outside of Mexico. | 2 | 0 | |
| Regionals US border states plus area south of Mexico including Nicaragua. | 0 | 0 | |
| Only show endemic species Show registered species Show species with PSV | Endemics | |
| Spreadwings (Lestidae) | ||
| Great Spreadwing (Archilestes grandis) map | 1 | |
| Wedge-striped Spreadwing (Lestes scalaris) map | 2 | |
| Shadowdamsels (Platystictidae) | ||
| Desert Shadowdamsel (Palaemnema domina) map | 3 | |
| Demoiselles (Calopterygidae) | ||
| American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana) map | 4 | |
| Cryptic Rubyspot (Hetaerina calverti) map | 5 | |
| Bronze Rubyspot (Hetaerina capitalis) map | 6 | |
| Racket-tipped Rubyspot (Hetaerina occisa) map | 7 | |
| Smoky Rubyspot (Hetaerina titia) map | 8 | |
| Pond Damselflies (Coenagrionidae) | ||
| Cerulean Dancer (Argia anceps) map | 9 | |
| Yaqui Dancer (Argia carlcooki) map | 10 | |
| Spine-tipped Dancer (Argia extranea) map | 11 | |
| Big Red Dancer (Argia funcki) map | 12 | |
| Harkness’s Dancer (Argia harknessi) map | 13 | |
| Gilded Dancer (Argia herberti) map | 14 | |
| May's Dancer (Argia mayi) map | 15 | |
| Oculate Dancer (Argia oculata) map | 16 | |
| Fiery-eyed Dancer (Argia oenea) map | 17 | |
| Amethyst Dancer (Argia pallens) map | 18 | |
| Purple Dancer (Argia pulla) map | 19 | |
| Tezpi Dancer (Argia tezpi) map | 20 | |
| Neotropical Bluet (Enallagma novaehispaniae) map | 21 | |
| Claw-tipped Bluet (Enallagma semicirculare) map | 22 | |
| Tiny Forktail (Ischnura capreolus) map | 23 | |
| Citrine Forktail (Ischnura hastata) map | 24 | |
| Rambur’s Forktail (Ischnura ramburii) map | 25 | |
| Red-tipped Swampdamsel (Leptobasis vacillans) map | 26 | |
| Lemon-tipped Helicopter (Mecistogaster ornata) map | 27 | |
| Caribbean Yellowface (Neoerythromma cultellatum) map | 28 | |
| West Mexican Yellowface (Neoerythromma gladiolatum) map | 29 | |
| Striped Firetail (Telebasis filiola) map | 30 | |
| Hyacinth Firetail (Telebasis levis) map | 31 | |
| Desert Firetail (Telebasis salva) map | 32 | |
| Threadtails (Protoneuridae) | ||
| Amelia’s Threadtail (Neoneura amelia) map | 33 | |
| Orange-striped Threadtail (Protoneura cara) map | 34 | |
| Ruddy Threadtail (Protoneura rojiza) map | 35 | |
| Hawkers (Aeshnidae) | ||
| Amazon Darner (Anax amazili) map | 36 | |
| Blue-spotted Comet Darner (Anax concolor) map | 37 | |
| Blue-faced Darner (Coryphaeschna adnexa) map | 38 | |
| Icarus Darner (Coryphaeschna apeora) map | 39 | |
| Fiery Darner (Coryphaeschna diapyra) map | 40 | |
| Mangrove Darner (Coryphaeschna viriditas) map | 41 | |
| Helen's Darner (Gynacantha helenga) map | 42 | |
| Twilight Darner (Gynacantha nervosa) map | 43 | |
| Malachite Darner (Remartinia luteipennis) map | 44 | |
| Secretive Darner (Remartinia secreta) map | 45 | |
| Turquoise-tipped Darner (Rhionaeschna psilus) map | 46 | |
| Pale-green Darner (Triacanthagyna septima) map | 47 | |
| Clubtails (Gomphidae) | ||
| Narrow-striped Forceptail (Aphylla protracta) map | 48 | |
| One-striped Ringtail (Erpetogomphus bothrops) map | 49 | |
| Straight-tipped Ringtail (Erpetogomphus elaps) map | 50 | |
| Angle-tipped Forceptail (Phyllocycla elongata) map | 51 | |
| Daniel’s Leaftail (Phyllogomphoides danieli) map | 52 | |
| Luis’s Leaftail (Phyllogomphoides luisi) map | Endemic to Mexico | 53 |
| Pacific Leaftail (Phyllogomphoides pacificus) map | 54 | |
| Zebra-striped Sanddragon (Progomphus clendoni) map | 55 | |
| Mexican Sanddragon (Progomphus mexicanus) map | 56 | |
| Skimmers (Libellulidae) | ||
| Red-tailed Pennant (Brachymesia furcata) map | 57 | |
| Tawny Pennant (Brachymesia herbida) map | 58 | |
| Slender Clubskimmer (Brechmorhoga praecox) map | 59 | |
| Gray-waisted Skimmer (Cannaphila insularis) map | 60 | |
| Mayan Setwing (Dythemis maya) map | 61 | |
| Blue-eyed Setwing (Dythemis nigra) map | 62 | |
| Black Setwing (Dythemis nigrescens) map | 63 | |
| Brown Setwing (Dythemis sterilis) map | 64 | |
| Black Pondhawk (Erythemis attala) map | 65 | |
| Red Pondhawk (Erythemis haematogastra) map | 66 | |
| Pin-tailed Pondhawk (Erythemis plebeja) map | 67 | |
| Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) map | 68 | |
| Great Pondhawk (Erythemis vesiculosa) map | 69 | |
| Plateau Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax basifusca) map | 70 | |
| Red-mantled Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax fervida) map | 71 | |
| Black-winged Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax funerea) map | 72 | |
| Red-faced Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax fusca) map | 73 | |
| Neon Skimmer (Libellula croceipennis) map | 74 | |
| Delta-spotted Sylph (Macrothemis hemichlora) map | 75 | |
| Straw-colored Sylph (Macrothemis inacuta) map | 76 | |
| Jade-striped Sylph (Macrothemis inequiunguis) map | 77 | |
| White-tailed Sylph (Macrothemis pseudimitans) map | 78 | |
| Sierra Madre Sylph (Macrothemis ultima) map | Endemic to Mexico | 79 |
| Hyacinth Glider (Miathyria marcella) map | 80 | |
| Dwarf Glider (Miathyria simplex) map | 81 | |
| Spot-tailed Dasher (Micrathyria aequalis) map | 82 | |
| Petén Dasher (Micrathyria debilis) map | 83 | |
| Even-striped Dasher (Micrathyria dictynna) map | 84 | |
| Three-striped Dasher (Micrathyria didyma) map | 85 | |
| Caribbean Dasher (Micrathyria dissocians) map | 86 | |
| Thornbush Dasher (Micrathyria hagenii) map | 87 | |
| Square-spotted Dasher (Micrathyria ocellata) map | 88 | |
| Upland Dasher (Micrathyria paulsoni) map | 89 | |
| Dusky Dasher (Micrathyria schumanni) map | 90 | |
| Carmine Skimmer (Orthemis discolor) map | 91 | |
| Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea) map | 92 | |
| Slender Skimmer (Orthemis levis) map | 93 | |
| Red-tailed Skimmer (Orthemis schmidti) map | 94 | |
| Red Rock Skimmer (Paltothemis lineatipes) map | 95 | |
| Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens) map | 96 | |
| Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea) map | 97 | |
| Slough Amberwing (Perithemis domitia) map | 98 | |
| Mexican Amberwing (Perithemis intensa) map | 99 | |
| Mexican Scarlet-tail (Planiplax sanguiniventris) map | 100 | |
| Filigree Skimmer (Pseudoleon superbus) map | 101 | |
| Cardinal Meadowhawk (Sympetrum illotum) map | 102 | |
| Arch-tipped Glider (Tauriphila argo) map | 103 | |
| Garnet Glider (Tauriphila australis) map | 104 | |
| Aztec Glider (Tauriphila azteca) map | 105 | |
| Evening Skimmer (Tholymis citrina) map | 106 | |
| Vermilion Saddlebags (Tramea abdominalis) map | 107 | |
| Striped Saddlebags (Tramea darwini) map | 108 | |
| Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta) map | 109 | |