Update June 20, 2009:added a number of images from this year, at the bottom of the page:
Update October 11, 2008 : I've added photos of a recent mature female from Cameron county, at the bottom.
Update September 19, 2008 : I've added photos of a mature male, mature female, and young male from Santa Ana, at the bottom.
Update July 02, 2006: I've added a photo of a male from McAllen in August 2005, at the bottom.
Correction: Jim Sinclair and
Tom Langshied obtained the first photos of this taxon in the wild
in 2004; my apologies to them for the earlier false claim - now
removed.
I found this male Cream-tipped Swampdamsel
Leptobasis melinogaster moving quietly in the
dappled shade next to Willow Pond #1 at Santa Ana NWR on June
21, 2005; at the same time I saw a similar damsel with segments
8 - 10 orange rather than creamy - perhaps a female or immature
male? Over the course of the next two hours John Abbott, Aaron
Smith and I found at least six males in this small area. The following
day I found three males in the same area - but no confirmed female.
This was the first shot I took; John Abbott tells me that this
species has been seen alive by only six people - including the
three of us! :
Here's another male from June 21:
Here's a male from June 22 eating a meal:
Update, July 02 2006:
Here's a photo of a male at McAllen Nature Park, Hidalgo County on August 18, 2005; they were present along the wooded stream at the north end of the park, where there were bankside patches - under the canopy - of the tall, thin grasses that are also at the above site in Santa Ana NWR:
Update September 19, 2008 : Photos of a mature male, mature female, and young male from Santa Ana NWR, Hidalgo county Texas on September 17 and 18, 2008:
Update October 11, 2008 : a mature female from the edge of the resaca at Sabal Palm Audubon Sanctuary, Cameron county, on October 08, 2008:
The photo below is with natural light (all others are with flash):
Close-ups:
Update April, 2009: a subadult male - found by Jan Dauphin - from NABA IBP, Hidalgo county, on the surprising date of March 05, 2009; note that the color dorsally on S10 - S8 and partially on S7 is a darker, richer orange than that of the teneral male further up this page, and quite different to the very pale color of a mature male:
Update June 01, 2009: a mature male in flight; one of c.30 seen by the entrance pond at Santa Ana NWR on May 28, 2009 (along with some L. vacillans):
Update June 20, 2009: a mature female from the Entrance Pond at Santa Ana NWR on June 09, 2009:
