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Slough Amberwing

This is a small Latin American species whose range just reaches northward into the lower Rio Grande Valley. Its face is yellow and the vertex and occiput are brown. The thorax is brown with two wide olivaceous stripes that become obscured with age. The male's wings are amber with dark red venation and a pterostigma. The female's wings are amber out to the nodus, with dark brown spots. The legs are brown with black joints. The brown abdomen is short with a narrow waste basally widening medially and narrowing again apically, so as to appear spindle shaped. There is a series of pale stripes forming an interrupted, but straight, line on either side of midline.

Total length: 21-25 mm; abdomen: 12-16 mm; hindwing: 16-20 mm.

This species could easily be confused with the similar Eastern Amberwing (P. tenera), but that species has chevrons dorsally on the abdomen, not stripes. Slough Amberwing also tends to prefer shady areas rather than open sunny fields and meadows like Eastern Amberwing. All other similar skimmers with amber in their wings are much larger.

Shaded sloughs, ponds, pools, roadside ditches and other still waters.

Though widespread farther south, this species has only been found at a few localites in Texas including the lower Rio Grande Valley and Big Bend National Park. Breeding populations are known at these localities. Slough Amberwings are often found taking cover in shady areas unlike both Mexican (P. intensa ) and Eastern Amberwings. Needham et al. (2000 ) reported that "Adults fly low over water, never departing far from it. They dart about very swiftly and perch frequently on emergent twigs or grass stems. Males on meeting face to face in flight may dart upward to considerable heights, threatening each other, but return at once to low-level perches."

Southern Arizona and Texas south through Mexico to Ecuador and Brazil.

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