Diet

• Gynacantha helenga is a predatory dragonfly. Adults feed on small flying insects, particularly flies and other soft-bodied insects, which they capture in flight. The aquatic larvae are also predators, feeding on small aquatic invertebrates and insect larvae.

Range

• Helen’s Darner is a tropical and subtropical species known from Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. In Mexico it occurs across parts of the Pacific and Gulf lowlands and adjacent foothills.

• The species occurs in suitable areas around Zihuatanejo, particularly where shaded forest and water occur.

Habitat

• Gynacantha helenga favours shaded tropical and subtropical forest near water. It is particularly associated with shaded forest ponds and other quiet, sheltered waters.

• It is primarily crepuscular, becoming active around dusk, although males may patrol shaded ponds during daylight. Individuals have also been observed flying low through forest clearings and along narrow paths.

• Around Zihuatanejo, suitable habitat would include shaded seasonal ponds, forest pools, wet areas and quiet watercourses within tropical dry forest.

Description

• Helen’s Darner is a medium-sized, slender Gynacantha with the characteristic elongated abdomen and broad wings of the genus. It is a relatively inconspicuous species and can be difficult to detect because of its secretive behaviour and crepuscular activity.

• The pterostigma is characteristically pale brownish-yellow. The legs are predominantly brown, with the hind legs having brown coloration throughout; the middle legs have brown femora.

• It tends to fly low through shaded vegetation, sometimes repeatedly circling through a small area before returning to the same position.