I had the chance to spend 15 days, from August 25 to September 8, 2012, observing dragonflies of Panama with an Anglo-American and Danish group, accompanied by Dennis Paulson, a world-renowned dragonfly expert who knows this region particularly well.
The climate is hot and very humid; it’s the rainy season, which occurs mainly in the form of thunderstorms, sometimes accompanied by staggering amounts of rain in the afternoon.
The environments are varied; the canal region, roughly at sea level, in the rainforest where we explore the often shaded paths, streams, lakes, and rivers that feed the canal.
Then further from Panama City, in the lower mountains, with a forest landscape and streams, torrents, small rivers, ponds, and rice paddies. Sometimes with small, very shaded torrents where surprises await.
Although the number of Dragonflies of Panama observed is not yet precisely defined, I believe it’s around 110. My count includes 86 odonates in photographs and 108 for the entire group.
Some are undoubtedly completely new, others have not yet been described, and one has just been officially named.
Thanks to Dennis Paulson for his availability and the patient assistance he provided me with numerous identifications.
| Coenagrionidae | Gomphidae | ||
| Acanthagrion inexpectum | ► | Epigomphus quadracies | ► |
| Acanthagrion trilobatum | ► | Phyllogomphoïdes appendiculatus | ► |
| Argia Genus | ► | Progomphus sp. | ► |
| Argia adamsi | ► | Progomphus pygmaeus | ► |
| Argia cupraurea | ► | Corduliidae | |
| Argia elongata | ► | Neocordulia batesi | ► |
| Argia fissa | ► | Libellulidae | |
| Argia indicatrix | ► | Anatya guttata | ► |
| Argia johanella | ► | Brachymesia furcata | ► |
| Argia oculata | ► | Brechmorhoga nubecula | ► |
| Argia oenea | ► | Brechmorhoga rapax | ► |
| Argia popoluca | ► | Brechmorhoga vivax | ► |
| Argia pulla | ► | Cannaphila insularis | ► |
| Argia talamanca | ► | Cannaphila vibex | ► |
| Argia terira | ► | Dythemis nigra | ► |
| Argia translata | ► | Dythemis sterilis | ► |
| Argia ulmeca | ► | Elasmothemis cannacrioides | ► |
| Erythemis haematogastra | ► | ||
| Ischnura capreolus | ► | Erythemis mithroides | ► |
| Ischnura hastata | ► | Erythemis peruviana | ► |
| Ischnura ramburii | ► | Erythemis plebeja | ► |
| Leptobasis vacillans | ► | Erythemis vesiculosa | ► |
| Megaloprepus caerulatus | ► | ||
| Metaleptobasis foreli | ► | Erythrodiplax Genus | ► |
| Neoerythromma cultellatum | ► | Erythrodiplax fervida | ► |
| Telebasis digiticollis | ► | Erythrodiplax funerea | ► |
| Telebasis filiola | ► | Erythrodiplax fusca | ► |
| Erythrodiplax kimminsi | ► | ||
| Megapodagrionidae | Erythrodiplax umbrata | ► | |
| Heteragrion erythrogastrum | ► | Idiataphe amazonica | ► |
| Heteragrion mitratum | ► | Libellula herculea | ► |
| Macrothemis hemichlora | ► | ||
| Macrothemis inequiunguis | ► | ||
| Macrothemis pseudimitans | ► | ||
| Miathyria marcella | ► | ||
| Calopterygidae | Miathyria simplex | ► | |
| Hetaerina caja | ► | Micrathyria Genus | ► |
| Hetaerina cruentata | ► | Micrathyria aequalis | ► |
| Hetaerina fuscoguttata | ► | Micrathyria didyma | ► |
| Hetaerina miniata | ► | Micrathyria laevigata | ► |
| Hetaerina occisa | ► | Micrathyria ocellata | ► |
| Polythoridae | Micrathyria pseudeximia | ► | |
| Cora marina | ► | Micrathyria tibialis | ► |
| Platystictidae | Nephepeltia phryne | ► | |
| Palaemnema nathalia | ► | Oligoclada heliophila | ► |
| Palaemnema sp. | ► | Orthemis aequilibris | ► |
| Protoneuridae | Orthemis cultriformis | ► | |
| Neoneura amelia | ► | Orthemis discolor | ► |
| Neoneura esthera | ► | Orthemis garrisoni | ► |
| Protoneura amatoria | ► | Orthemis levis | ► |
| Psaironeura angeloi | ► | Pantala flavescens | ► |
| Lestidae | Pantala hymenaea | ► | |
| Lestes tenuatus | ► | Perithemis domitia | ► |
| Aeshnidae | Perithemis electra | ► | |
| Anax amazili | ► | Perithemis mooma | ► |
| Gynacantha membranalis | ► | Planiplax phoenicura | ► |
| Gynacantha tibiata | ► | Rhodopygia hinei | ► |
| Remartinia luteipennis | ► | Sympetrum illotum | ► |
| Rhionaeschna jalapensis | ► | Tauriphila australis | ► |
| Triacanthagyna septima | ► | Tramea calverti | ► |
| Triacanthagyna sp. | ► | Uracis imbuta | ► |
| Uracis fastigiata | ► |
I haven’t found any official list of Dragonflies of Panama. The iNaturalist website lists 217 species, which is probably far from the truth.