Diet

• Erythemis attala is a predatory dragonfly. Adults capture a variety of flying insects and are capable of taking relatively large prey for their size, while the aquatic larvae prey on mosquito larvae and other small aquatic animals.

• Adults typically hunt from low perches, making short flights to intercept passing insects.

Range

• The Black Pondhawk has a very broad Neotropical distribution, extending from Texas through Mexico and Central America to Argentina.

• In Mexico, it is recorded from numerous states, including Guerrero, making it appropriate for the broader Zihuatanejo region.

Habitat

• Erythemis attala is associated with ponds, lakes, marshes and other quiet freshwater habitats, particularly where aquatic vegetation is abundant. It can occur around forested water bodies and heavily vegetated ponds.

• Adults frequently perch on low branches, logs and other structures beside the water, from which they make short flights to hunt or defend territories.

• Around Zihuatanejo, suitable habitat includes vegetated ponds, quiet pools, marshy areas and slow-moving water within tropical dry forest and along forest edges.

Description

• Erythemis attala is a medium-sized, robust dragonfly, reaching approximately 42 mm in length.

• Mature males are predominantly dark brown to almost black, with relatively dark eyes and pale or whitish terminal abdominal appendages. The abdomen is noticeably short and thick compared with the much more slender abdomen of the similar Erythemis plebeja.

• Small dark patches occur near the bases of the hind wings. Females and immature individuals are generally browner and show more contrasting yellowish or pale abdominal markings.

• The combination of its dark mature male coloration, robust abdomen and small basal hind-wing patches makes the Black Pondhawk distinctive among the pondhawks occurring in western Mexico.