Mexican species
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.
Species per state
Mexico The Mexican Republic Aguascalientes Baja California Guadalupe Baja California Sur Campeche Chiapas Chihuahua Coahuila Colima Revillagigedos Revillagigedos Ciudad de México Durango Guanajuato Guerrero Hidalgo Jalisco México Michoacán Morelos Nayarit Islas Marías Nuevo León Oaxaca Puebla Querétaro Quintana Roo Cozumel San Luis Potosí Sinaloa Sonora Tabasco Tamaulipas Tlaxcala Veracruz Yucatán Zacatecas
0-30
 
31-60
 
61-90
 
91-120
 
121-150
 
151-180
 
181-210
 
211-240
 
241-270
 
271-300
 
301-330
 
330 <
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Show explanation
 
Sonora (son)
    Total Registered
Mexican endemics
True Species that normally do not occur outside of Mexico. 1 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)    
California Spreadwing (Archilestes californicus)   map   1
Great Spreadwing (Archilestes grandis)   map   2
Plateau Spreadwing (Lestes alacer)   map   3
Chalky Spreadwing (Lestes sigma)   map   4
Shadowdamsels (Platystictidae)    
Desert Shadowdamsel (Palaemnema domina)   map   5
Demoiselles (Calopterygidae)    
American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana)   map   6
Bronze Rubyspot (Hetaerina capitalis)   map   7
Smoky Rubyspot (Hetaerina titia)   map   8
Canyon Rubyspot (Hetaerina vulnerata)   map   9
Pond Damselflies (Coenagrionidae)    
Black-and-white Damsel (Apanisagrion lais)   map   10
Paiute Dancer (Argia alberta)   map   11
Cerulean Dancer (Argia anceps)   map   12
Yaqui Dancer (Argia carlcooki)   map   13
Coppery Dancer (Argia cuprea)   map   14
Spine-tipped Dancer (Argia extranea)   map   15
Variable Dancer (Argia fumipennis)   map   16
Big Red Dancer (Argia funcki)   map   17
Springwater Dancer (Argia funebris)   map   18
Harkness’s Dancer (Argia harknessi)   map   19
Gilded Dancer (Argia herberti)   map   20
Lavender Dancer (Argia hinei)   map   21
Kiowa Dancer (Argia immunda)   map   22
Sierra Madre Dancer (Argia lacrimans)   map   23
Sooty Dancer (Argia lugens)   map   24
Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta)   map   25
Apache Dancer (Argia munda)   map   26
Aztec Dancer (Argia nahuana)   map   27
Oculate Dancer (Argia oculata)   map   28
Fiery-eyed Dancer (Argia oenea)   map   29
Amethyst Dancer (Argia pallens)   map   30
Pima Dancer (Argia pima)   map   31
Purple Dancer (Argia pulla)   map   32
Sabino Dancer (Argia sabino)   map   33
Blue-ringed Dancer (Argia sedula)   map   34
Tarascan Dancer (Argia tarascana)   map   35
Tezpi Dancer (Argia tezpi)   map   36
Tonto Dancer (Argia tonto)   map   37
Dusky Dancer (Argia translata)   map   38
Olmec Dancer (Argia ulmeca)   map   39
Double-striped Bluet (Enallagma basidens)   map   40
Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile)   map   41
Baja Bluet (Enallagma eiseni)   map   42
Neotropical Bluet (Enallagma novaehispaniae)   map   43
Arroyo Bluet (Enallagma praevarum)   map   44
Claw-tipped Bluet (Enallagma semicirculare)   map   45
Painted Damsel (Hesperagrion heterodoxum)   map   46
Desert Forktail (Ischnura barberi)   map   47
Pacific Forktail (Ischnura cervula)   map   48
Plains Forktail (Ischnura damula)   map   49
Mexican Forktail (Ischnura demorsa)   map   50
Black-fronted Forktail (Ischnura denticollis)   map   51
Citrine Forktail (Ischnura hastata)   map   52
Rambur’s Forktail (Ischnura ramburii)   map   53
West Mexican Yellowface (Neoerythromma gladiolatum)   map   54
Hyacinth Firetail (Telebasis levis)   map   55
Desert Firetail (Telebasis salva)   map   56
Threadtails (Protoneuridae)    
Amelia’s Threadtail (Neoneura amelia)   map   57
Orange-striped Threadtail (Protoneura cara)   map   58
Hawkers (Aeshnidae)    
Persephone’s Darner (Aeshna persephone)   map   59
Amazon Darner (Anax amazili)   map   60
Common Green Darner (Anax junius)   map   61
Giant Darner (Anax walsinghami)   map   62
Helen's Darner (Gynacantha helenga)   map   63
Twilight Darner (Gynacantha nervosa)   map   64
Malachite Darner (Remartinia luteipennis)   map   65
Arroyo Darner (Rhionaeschna dugesi)   map   66
Blue-eyed Darner (Rhionaeschna multicolor)   map   67
Turquoise-tipped Darner (Rhionaeschna psilus)   map   68
West Mexican Darner (Rhionaeschna vazquezae)   map   69
Clubtails (Gomphidae)    
Narrow-striped Forceptail (Aphylla protracta)   map   70
One-striped Ringtail (Erpetogomphus bothrops)   map   71
White-belted Ringtail (Erpetogomphus compositus)   map   72
Yellow-legged Ringtail (Erpetogomphus crotalinus)   map   73
Straight-tipped Ringtail (Erpetogomphus elaps)   map   74
Serpent Ringtail (Erpetogomphus lampropeltis)   map   75
Black-tailed Ringtail (Erpetogomphus molossus)   map   76
Angle-tipped Forceptail (Phyllocycla elongata)   map   77
Spine-tipped Leaftail (Phyllogomphoides apiculatus)   map   78
West Mexican Leaftail (Phyllogomphoides nayaritensis)   map   79
Pacific Leaftail (Phyllogomphoides pacificus)   map   80
Belyshev’s Sanddragon (Progomphus belyshevi)   map   81
Gray Sanddragon (Progomphus borealis)   map   82
Zebra-striped Sanddragon (Progomphus clendoni)   map   83
Mexican Sanddragon (Progomphus mexicanus)   map   84
Goldenrings (Cordulegastridae)    
Apache Spiketail (Cordulegaster diadema)   map   85
Cruisers (Macromiidae)    
Western River Cruiser (Macromia magnifica)   map   86
Skimmers (Libellulidae)    
Red-tailed Pennant (Brachymesia furcata)   map   87
Tawny Pennant (Brachymesia herbida)   map   88
Pale-faced Clubskimmer (Brechmorhoga mendax)   map   89
Masked Clubskimmer (Brechmorhoga pertinax)   map   90
Slender Clubskimmer (Brechmorhoga praecox)   map   91
Tepeaca Clubskimmer (Brechmorhoga tepeaca)   map   92
Mayan Setwing (Dythemis maya)   map   93
Black Setwing (Dythemis nigrescens)   map   94
Brown Setwing (Dythemis sterilis)   map   95
Western Pondhawk (Erythemis collocata)   map   96
Claret Pondhawk (Erythemis mithroides)   map   97
Flame-tailed Pondhawk (Erythemis peruviana)   map   98
Pin-tailed Pondhawk (Erythemis plebeja)   map   99
Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis)   map   100
Great Pondhawk (Erythemis vesiculosa)   map   101
Plateau Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax basifusca)   map   102
Seaside Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax berenice)   map   103
Black-winged Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax funerea)   map   104
Comanche Skimmer (Libellula comanche)   map   105
Bleached Skimmer (Libellula composita)   map   106
Neon Skimmer (Libellula croceipennis)   map   107
Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa)   map   108
Hoary Skimmer (Libellula nodisticta)   map   109
Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella)   map   110
Flame Skimmer (Libellula saturata)   map   111
Marl Pennant (Macrodiplax balteata)   map   112
Straw-colored Sylph (Macrothemis inacuta)   map   113
White-tailed Sylph (Macrothemis pseudimitans)   map   114
Sierra Madre Sylph (Macrothemis ultima)   map Endemic to Mexico 115
Hyacinth Glider (Miathyria marcella)   map   116
Dwarf Glider (Miathyria simplex)   map   117
Spot-tailed Dasher (Micrathyria aequalis)   map   118
Three-striped Dasher (Micrathyria didyma)   map   119
Caribbean Dasher (Micrathyria dissocians)   map   120
Thornbush Dasher (Micrathyria hagenii)   map   121
Square-spotted Dasher (Micrathyria ocellata)   map   122
Carmine Skimmer (Orthemis discolor)   map   123
Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea)   map   124
Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis)   map   125
Blue Rock Skimmer (Paltothemis cyanosoma)   map   126
Red Rock Skimmer (Paltothemis lineatipes)   map   127
Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens)   map   128
Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea)   map   129
Slough Amberwing (Perithemis domitia)   map   130
Mexican Amberwing (Perithemis intensa)   map   131
Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera)   map   132
Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia)   map   133
Desert Whitetail (Plathemis subornata)   map   134
Filigree Skimmer (Pseudoleon superbus)   map   135
Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum)   map   136
Cardinal Meadowhawk (Sympetrum illotum)   map   137
Spot-winged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum signiferum)   map   138
Garnet Glider (Tauriphila australis)   map   139
Aztec Glider (Tauriphila azteca)   map   140
Striped Saddlebags (Tramea darwini)   map   141
Antillean Saddlebags (Tramea insularis)   map   142
Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata)   map   143
Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta)   map   144