Dragonflies of Peru

South America, Iquitos, prospecting area for prospecting Dragonflies of Peru

Two weeks of prospecting for Dragonflies of Peru at the end of the rainy season (2870 mm per year, average temperature of 25°5 C), with an international team led by Phil Benstead, allowed us to contact more than a hundred species, very common or rare, not having been contacted for decades, some new to the region, others probably undescribed.

It is very difficult to find information on the odonatological fauna of this region, there is of course no field guide; however Tim Faasen has prospected this area. His website and his data on the Inaturalist application allow us to refine the identifications, at least partially.
In 2009, an IDF report listed 481 species of Dragonflies of Peru. In July 2023, this number had increased to 523, including more than 200 in the Amazonian part.

Geographically, we are very close to the equator, in the rainforest, with a tropical climate. It is hot, but above all very humid, with thunderstorms at the end of the day. Progress in the forest is difficult, very often in the mud, the vegetation is invasive and obstacles follow one another. Ants, wasps, flies and other mosquitoes complicate the picture and each species has to be earned…

We will find them mainly on streams invaded by vegetation, generally in the shade or in rare gaps of light. But also on some ponds, marshy areas or simple temporary puddles.
These are most often areas completely flooded, several months, during the rainy season. We will go twice to the Terra Firme , an area that is never underwater, to find really different species.

The red ellipse, in the Tamshiyacu Tahuayo Communal Regional Conservation Area, roughly represents the tiny area surveyed about 70 km south of Iquitos.

Iquitos map, prospecting area for Dragonflies of Peru
Coenagrionidae
Acanthagrion apicale
Acanthagrion ascendens
Acanthagrion floridense
Acanthagrion phallicorne
Aeolagrion dorsale
Aeolagrion inca
Anomisma abnorme
Argia euphorbia
Argia huanacina
Argia indicatrix
Argia infumata
Argia kokama
Calvertagrion albatum
Epipleoneura sp.
Inpabasis hubelli
Inpabasis nigridorsum
Ischnura capreolus
Ischnura fluviatilis
Mecistogaster linearis
Mecistogaster lucretia
Metaleptobasis gabrielae
Metaleptobasis minteri
Metaleptobasis paludicola
Phoenicagrion flammeum
Phoenicagrion trilobum
Pseudotepuibasis garrisoni
Telebasis dunklei
Telebasis griffinii
Telebasis inalata
Telebasis obsoleta
Protoneuridae
Drepanoneura muzoni
Neoneura bilinearis
Neoneura denticulata
Neoneura rubriventris
Psaironeura tenuissima
Calopterygidae
Hetaerina amazonica
Hetaerina laesa
Hetaerina sanguinea
Mnesarete fulgida
Mnesarete cupraea
Heteragrionidae
Heteragrion inca
Heteragrion sp. nov.
Polythoridae
Polythore aurora
Lestidae
Perilestes sp.
Perissolestes sp. nov.
Phylogeniidae
Philogenia sp.
Aeshnidae
Gynacantha klagesi
Gynacantha membranalis
Gynacantha tenuis
Neuraeschna harpya
Triacanthagyna ditzleri
Triacanthagyna septima
Gomphidae
Epigomphus obtusus
Phyllocycla medusa
Phyllocycla sp. (nov. ?)
Libellulidae
Anatya guttata
Argyrothemis argentea
Erythemis attala
Erythemis carmelita
Erythemis peruviana
Erythemis plebeja
Erythrodiplax attenuata
Erythrodiplax castanea
Erythrodiplax melanorubra
Erythrodiplax solimaea
Erythrodiplax umbrata
Erythrodiplax unimaculata
Gynothemis pumilia
Macrothemis extensa
Miathyria marcella
Miathyria simplex
Micrathyria atra
Nephepeltia phryne
Oligoclada monosticha
Oligoclada pachystigma
Oligoclada walkeri
Orthemis anthracina
Orthemis attenuata
Orthemis cultriformis
Orthemis faaseni
Orthemis schmidti
Perithemis bella
Perithemis cornelia
Perithemis lais
Tauriphilia australis
Uracis fastigiata
Uracis imbuta
Uracis infumata
Uracis ovipositrix
Uracis siemensi
Zenithoptera lanei


The species that are not followed by a link are species that have been observed in the field; either I have not yet had time to place them on the site, or the photos are of no interest, because almost all of them can be found illustrated in another country, from the 
List of Odonata of Central and South America .
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