Diet

• Perithemis domitia is a small predatory dragonfly. Adults catch small flying insects from low perches, while the aquatic larvae prey on small aquatic invertebrates and insect larvae.

Range

• The Slough Amberwing occurs from the southern United States through Mexico and Central America to Ecuador and Brazil.

• Perithemis domitia occurs in the broader Zihuatanejo region, where suitable freshwater habitats provide appropriate conditions for the species.

Habitat

• It favours quiet or slow-moving freshwater, including ponds, small pools, sloughs, marshes and slow streams. It is particularly characteristic of shaded water, including pools within forest.

• Adults generally fly low over the water and frequently perch on twigs, grasses and other vegetation in the shade. Males defend small territories around suitable water.

• Around Zihuatanejo, suitable habitat includes shaded seasonal pools, small ponds, slow streams and wet areas within tropical dry forest.

Description

• The Slough Amberwing is a very small, compact dragonfly, approximately 22–25 mm long with a wingspan of about 34–41 mm.

• Males have a brown to greenish-brown body with pale markings on the sides of the thorax. Their wings are yellowish to amber-orange, with reddish veins and a small reddish pterostigma.

• Females are generally browner and have amber wings with variable dark patches or spots, producing a much more strongly patterned appearance than the male.

• Its tiny size, amber wings and habit of remaining close to shaded freshwater make it distinctive among the amberwings found in western Mexico.