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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Tabasco (tab) |
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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. | 1 | 0 | |
| Only show endemic species Show registered species Show species with PSV | Endemics | |
| Twigtails (Perilestidae) | ||
| Horned Twigtail (Perissolestes magdalenae) map | 1 | |
| Spreadwings (Lestidae) | ||
| Great Spreadwing (Archilestes grandis) map | 2 | |
| Rainpool Spreadwing (Lestes forficula) map | 3 | |
| Shadowdamsels (Platystictidae) | ||
| Presidio Shadowdamsel (Palaemnema desiderata) map | 4 | |
| Tabasco Shadowdamsel (Palaemnema paulitaba) map | 5 | |
| Demoiselles (Calopterygidae) | ||
| American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana) map | 6 | |
| Highland Rubyspot (Hetaerina cruentata) map | 7 | |
| Racket-tipped Rubyspot (Hetaerina occisa) map | 8 | |
| Knob-tipped Rubyspot (Hetaerina pilula) map | 9 | |
| Forest Rubyspot (Hetaerina sempronia) map | 10 | |
| Smoky Rubyspot (Hetaerina titia) map | 11 | |
| Cascade Damsels (Thaumatoneuridae) | ||
| Clearwing Cascade Damsel (Paraphlebia hyalina) map | 12 | |
| Polymorphic Cascade Damsel (Paraphlebia quinta) map | 13 | |
| Pond Damselflies (Coenagrionidae) | ||
| Mexican Wedgetail (Acanthagrion quadratum) map | 14 | |
| Calida Dancer (Argia calida) map | 15 | |
| Coppery Dancer (Argia cuprea) map | 16 | |
| Spine-tipped Dancer (Argia extranea) map | 17 | |
| Green-eyed Dancer (Argia frequentula) map | 18 | |
| Petén Dancer (Argia gaumeri) map | 19 | |
| Swamp Dancer (Argia indicatrix) map | 20 | |
| Oculate Dancer (Argia oculata) map | 21 | |
| Pipila Dancer (Argia pipila) map | 22 | |
| Popoluca Dancer (Argia popoluca) map | 23 | |
| Purple Dancer (Argia pulla) map | 24 | |
| Dusky Dancer (Argia translata) map | 25 | |
| Olmec Dancer (Argia ulmeca) map | 26 | |
| Caribbean Damsel (Enacantha caribbea) map | 27 | |
| Neotropical Bluet (Enallagma novaehispaniae) map | 28 | |
| Tiny Forktail (Ischnura capreolus) map | 29 | |
| Citrine Forktail (Ischnura hastata) map | 30 | |
| Rambur’s Forktail (Ischnura ramburii) map | 31 | |
| Red-tipped Swampdamsel (Leptobasis vacillans) map | 32 | |
| Bromeliad Helicopter (Mecistogaster modesta) map | 33 | |
| Lemon-tipped Helicopter (Mecistogaster ornata) map | 34 | |
| Mexican Blue-winged Helicopter (Megaloprepus latipennis) map | Near-endemic to Mexico | 35 |
| Tropical Sprite (Nehalennia minuta) map | 36 | |
| Broad-winged Helicopter (Pseudostigma aberrans) map | 37 | |
| Wide-winged Helicopter (Pseudostigma accedens) map | 38 | |
| Belize Firetail (Telebasis boomsmae) map | 39 | |
| Dark-tailed Firetail (Telebasis collopistes) map | 40 | |
| Marsh Firetail (Telebasis digiticollis) map | 41 | |
| Striped Firetail (Telebasis filiola) map | 42 | |
| Hyacinth Firetail (Telebasis levis) map | 43 | |
| Desert Firetail (Telebasis salva) map | 44 | |
| Threadtails (Protoneuridae) | ||
| Amelia’s Threadtail (Neoneura amelia) map | 45 | |
| Paya Threadtail (Neoneura paya) map | 46 | |
| Golden-orange Threadtail (Protoneura aurantiaca) map | 47 | |
| Blue-fronted Threadtail (Protoneura cupida) map | 48 | |
| Shadowy Threadtail (Psaironeura remissa) map | 49 | |
| Flamboyant Flatwings (Heteragrionidae) | ||
| Golden Flatwing (Heteragrion alienum) map | 50 | |
| Highland Flatwing (Heteragrion tricellulare) map | 51 | |
| Hawkers (Aeshnidae) | ||
| Amazon Darner (Anax amazili) map | 52 | |
| Common Green Darner (Anax junius) map | 53 | |
| Blue-faced Darner (Coryphaeschna adnexa) map | 54 | |
| Mangrove Darner (Coryphaeschna viriditas) map | 55 | |
| Helen's Darner (Gynacantha helenga) map | 56 | |
| Turquoise-tipped Darner (Rhionaeschna psilus) map | 57 | |
| Caribbean Darner (Triacanthagyna caribbea) map | 58 | |
| Ditzler's Darner (Triacanthagyna ditzleri) map | 59 | |
| Pale-green Darner (Triacanthagyna septima) map | 60 | |
| Clubtails (Gomphidae) | ||
| Broad-striped Forceptail (Aphylla angustifolia) map | 61 | |
| Narrow-striped Forceptail (Aphylla protracta) map | 62 | |
| Tuxtla Ringtail (Erpetogomphus ophibolus) map | 63 | |
| Tiny Forceptail (Phyllocycla volsella) map | 64 | |
| Skimmers (Libellulidae) | ||
| Tawny Pennant (Brachymesia herbida) map | 65 | |
| Little Clubskimmer (Brechmorhoga nubecula) map | 66 | |
| Slender Clubskimmer (Brechmorhoga praecox) map | 67 | |
| Gray-waisted Skimmer (Cannaphila insularis) map | 68 | |
| Blue-eyed Setwing (Dythemis nigra) map | 69 | |
| Brown Setwing (Dythemis sterilis) map | 70 | |
| Black Pondhawk (Erythemis attala) map | 71 | |
| Red Pondhawk (Erythemis haematogastra) map | 72 | |
| Claret Pondhawk (Erythemis mithroides) map | 73 | |
| Flame-tailed Pondhawk (Erythemis peruviana) map | 74 | |
| Pin-tailed Pondhawk (Erythemis plebeja) map | 75 | |
| Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) map | 76 | |
| Great Pondhawk (Erythemis vesiculosa) map | 77 | |
| Red-mantled Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax fervida) map | 78 | |
| Red-faced Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax fusca) map | 79 | |
| Band-winged Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax umbrata) map | 80 | |
| Delta-spotted Sylph (Macrothemis hemichlora) map | 81 | |
| Straw-colored Sylph (Macrothemis inacuta) map | 82 | |
| Jade-striped Sylph (Macrothemis inequiunguis) map | 83 | |
| Delicate Sylph (Macrothemis musiva) map | 84 | |
| White-tailed Sylph (Macrothemis pseudimitans) map | 85 | |
| Hyacinth Glider (Miathyria marcella) map | 86 | |
| Dwarf Glider (Miathyria simplex) map | 87 | |
| Spot-tailed Dasher (Micrathyria aequalis) map | 88 | |
| Black Dasher (Micrathyria atra) map | 89 | |
| Petén Dasher (Micrathyria debilis) map | 90 | |
| Three-striped Dasher (Micrathyria didyma) map | 91 | |
| Caribbean Dasher (Micrathyria dissocians) map | 92 | |
| Square-spotted Dasher (Micrathyria ocellata) map | 93 | |
| Glossy-fronted Dryad (Nephepeltia flavifrons) map | 94 | |
| Carmine Skimmer (Orthemis discolor) map | 95 | |
| Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea) map | 96 | |
| Slender Skimmer (Orthemis levis) map | 97 | |
| Red-tailed Skimmer (Orthemis schmidti) map | 98 | |
| Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens) map | 99 | |
| Slough Amberwing (Perithemis domitia) map | 100 | |
| Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera) map | 101 | |
| Mexican Scarlet-tail (Planiplax sanguiniventris) map | 102 | |
| Garnet Glider (Tauriphila australis) map | 103 | |
| Aztec Glider (Tauriphila azteca) map | 104 | |
| Evening Skimmer (Tholymis citrina) map | 105 | |
| Sooty Saddlebags (Tramea binotata) map | 106 | |
| Striped Saddlebags (Tramea darwini) map | 107 | |
| Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta) map | 108 | |