United States and Canada
This Mexican species is found only in far western New Mexico within the region. It has a pale yellow face and the thorax is light brown, generally lacking stripes, but occasionally with darker midfrontal and humeral stripes. The abdomen is light brown with a faint, narrow and waved dorsolateral brown stripe which is often lacking completely in males. The wings in males are orange with yellow veins, darker brown spot half way between the base and nodus, and a dark red pterostigma. The female's wings are clear with amber bands between the base and nodus and the nodus and pterostigma. Tho ugh variable, generally there are also dark brown spots in the basal fourth of the wing and at the nodus. The wing patterning is variable in both sexes.
Size: Total length: 24-26 mm; abdomen: 15-16 mm; hindwing: 20-22 mm.
Similar Species (south-central US): This species is distinctive with a general lack of thoracic and abdominal stripes. Slough Amberwing (P. domitia) has dark brown stripes dorsally on the abdomen and Eastern Amberwing (P. tenera) has a row of chevrons dorsally on the abdomen. Other skimmers with amber in the wings are significantly larger.
Habitat: Open sloughs, ponds, pools, roadside ditches and other still waters.
Natural History: Little has been reported about the behavior of this little Mexican species. From what is known, it appears to behave similarly to Eastern Amberwing.
Distribution: Southwestern U.S. and Mexico.
Source: Abbott, J.C. 2006-2010. OdonataCentral: An online resource for the distribution and identification of Odonata. Available at OdonataCentral.
Edited by Drew Weber (9/24/2015).
