Diet

• Leptobasis melinogaster is a predatory damselfly. Adults feed on small flying insects captured around vegetation, while the aquatic larvae prey on small aquatic invertebrates and insect larvae.

Range

•  The Cream-tipped Swampdamsel is endemic to western and southern Mexico, with a range extending from Texas and Sinaloa south to Oaxaca.

•  It is therefore geographically appropriate for the broader Zihuatanejo region of Guerrero, although I did not find a specific published Zihuatanejo locality in the sources reviewed. Its known range and the presence of suitable habitat make occurrence in the region plausible.

Habitat

• Leptobasis melinogaster is associated with freshwater marshes, intermittent streams, ponds, and wooded wetlands. Members of Leptobasis are particularly associated with swampy or forested wetland habitats.

•  Adults commonly perch on overhanging branches and vegetation approximately 1–2 metres above the water. They can fly through dense vegetation and may be difficult to follow.

•  Around Zihuatanejo, suitable habitat would include seasonal streams, pools, marshy areas, and wet patches within or bordering tropical dry forest.

Description

• Leptobasis melinogaster is a slender, delicate damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. The species is commonly called the Cream-tipped Swampdamsel, referring to the distinctive pale, creamy-honey-coloured tip of the male abdomen.

•  The body is predominantly dark, with contrasting pale and metallic markings. The abdomen is particularly slender, with the terminal segments becoming conspicuously pale in mature males.

•  Females are less brightly coloured than males. They can be distinguished from related Leptobasis by features of the prothorax and by the dark apices of the femora.