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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Quintana Roo (roo) |
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| Total | Registered | ||
| Mexican endemics | |||
| True Species that normally do not occur outside of Mexico. | 0 | 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) | ||
| Rainpool Spreadwing (Lestes forficula) map | 1 | |
| Wedge-striped Spreadwing (Lestes scalaris) map | 2 | |
| Blue-striped Spreadwing (Lestes tenuatus) map | 3 | |
| Demoiselles (Calopterygidae) | ||
| Smoky Rubyspot (Hetaerina titia) map | 4 | |
| Pond Damselflies (Coenagrionidae) | ||
| Mexican Wedgetail (Acanthagrion quadratum) map | 5 | |
| Green-eyed Dancer (Argia frequentula) map | 6 | |
| Petén Dancer (Argia gaumeri) map | 7 | |
| Dusky Dancer (Argia translata) map | 8 | |
| Caribbean Damsel (Enacantha caribbea) map | 9 | |
| Neotropical Bluet (Enallagma novaehispaniae) map | 10 | |
| Tiny Forktail (Ischnura capreolus) map | 11 | |
| Citrine Forktail (Ischnura hastata) map | 12 | |
| Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita) map | 13 | |
| Rambur’s Forktail (Ischnura ramburii) map | 14 | |
| Caribbean Swampdamsel (Leptobasis candelaria) map | 15 | |
| Red-tipped Swampdamsel (Leptobasis vacillans) map | 16 | |
| Bromeliad Helicopter (Mecistogaster modesta) map | 17 | |
| Tropical Sprite (Nehalennia minuta) map | 18 | |
| Caribbean Yellowface (Neoerythromma cultellatum) map | 19 | |
| Broad-winged Helicopter (Pseudostigma aberrans) map | 20 | |
| Wide-winged Helicopter (Pseudostigma accedens) map | 21 | |
| Marsh Firetail (Telebasis digiticollis) map | 22 | |
| Striped Firetail (Telebasis filiola) map | 23 | |
| Desert Firetail (Telebasis salva) map | 24 | |
| Threadtails (Protoneuridae) | ||
| Amelia’s Threadtail (Neoneura amelia) map | 25 | |
| Peach-fronted Threadtail (Protoneura corculum) map | 26 | |
| Flamboyant Flatwings (Heteragrionidae) | ||
| Golden Flatwing (Heteragrion alienum) map | 27 | |
| Hawkers (Aeshnidae) | ||
| Amazon Darner (Anax amazili) map | 28 | |
| Blue-spotted Comet Darner (Anax concolor) map | 29 | |
| Common Green Darner (Anax junius) map | 30 | |
| Blue-faced Darner (Coryphaeschna adnexa) map | 31 | |
| Icarus Darner (Coryphaeschna apeora) map | 32 | |
| Fiery Darner (Coryphaeschna diapyra) map | 33 | |
| Mangrove Darner (Coryphaeschna viriditas) map | 34 | |
| Helen's Darner (Gynacantha helenga) map | 35 | |
| Bar-sided Darner (Gynacantha mexicana) map | 36 | |
| Twilight Darner (Gynacantha nervosa) map | 37 | |
| Secretive Darner (Remartinia secreta) map | 38 | |
| Turquoise-tipped Darner (Rhionaeschna psilus) map | 39 | |
| Caribbean Darner (Triacanthagyna caribbea) map | 40 | |
| Pale-green Darner (Triacanthagyna septima) map | 41 | |
| Clubtails (Gomphidae) | ||
| Broad-striped Forceptail (Aphylla angustifolia) map | 42 | |
| Antillean Forceptail (Aphylla caraiba) map | 43 | |
| Skimmers (Libellulidae) | ||
| Common Blue-eye (Anatya guttata) map | 44 | |
| Red-tailed Pennant (Brachymesia furcata) map | 45 | |
| Tawny Pennant (Brachymesia herbida) map | 46 | |
| Gray-waisted Skimmer (Cannaphila insularis) map | 47 | |
| Black Setwing (Dythemis nigrescens) map | 48 | |
| Brown Setwing (Dythemis sterilis) map | 49 | |
| Black Pondhawk (Erythemis attala) map | 50 | |
| Red Pondhawk (Erythemis haematogastra) map | 51 | |
| Claret Pondhawk (Erythemis mithroides) map | 52 | |
| Flame-tailed Pondhawk (Erythemis peruviana) map | 53 | |
| Pin-tailed Pondhawk (Erythemis plebeja) map | 54 | |
| Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) map | 55 | |
| Great Pondhawk (Erythemis vesiculosa) map | 56 | |
| Seaside Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax berenice) map | 57 | |
| Red-mantled Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax fervida) map | 58 | |
| Red-faced Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax fusca) map | 59 | |
| Band-winged Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax umbrata) map | 60 | |
| Metallic Pennant (Idiataphe cubensis) map | 61 | |
| Red-mantled Skimmer (Libellula gaigei) map | 62 | |
| Hercules Skimmer (Libellula herculea) map | 63 | |
| Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami) map | 64 | |
| Marl Pennant (Macrodiplax balteata) map | 65 | |
| Delta-spotted Sylph (Macrothemis hemichlora) map | 66 | |
| Hyacinth Glider (Miathyria marcella) map | 67 | |
| Dwarf Glider (Miathyria simplex) map | 68 | |
| Spot-tailed Dasher (Micrathyria aequalis) map | 69 | |
| Black Dasher (Micrathyria atra) map | 70 | |
| Petén Dasher (Micrathyria debilis) map | 71 | |
| Three-striped Dasher (Micrathyria didyma) map | 72 | |
| Thornbush Dasher (Micrathyria hagenii) map | 73 | |
| Carmine Skimmer (Orthemis discolor) map | 74 | |
| Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea) map | 75 | |
| Slender Skimmer (Orthemis levis) map | 76 | |
| Red-tailed Skimmer (Orthemis schmidti) map | 77 | |
| Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens) map | 78 | |
| Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea) map | 79 | |
| Slough Amberwing (Perithemis domitia) map | 80 | |
| Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera) map | 81 | |
| Mexican Scarlet-tail (Planiplax sanguiniventris) map | 82 | |
| Arch-tipped Glider (Tauriphila argo) map | 83 | |
| Garnet Glider (Tauriphila australis) map | 84 | |
| Aztec Glider (Tauriphila azteca) map | 85 | |
| Evening Skimmer (Tholymis citrina) map | 86 | |
| Vermilion Saddlebags (Tramea abdominalis) map | 87 | |
| Sooty Saddlebags (Tramea binotata) map | 88 | |
| Striped Saddlebags (Tramea darwini) map | 89 | |
| Antillean Saddlebags (Tramea insularis) map | 90 | |
| Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata) map | 91 | |
| Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta) map | 92 | |
| Tropical Woodskimmer (Uracis imbuta) map | 93 | |