Dragonfly checklist - overview

This checklist covers the suborder Anisoptera (Dragonflies) for the Philippine islands of Samar, Biliran, Leyte and Panaon in the Eastern Visayas. It aims to be fully updated (2026) with info available in publications and on the internet on top of field experience (2021-present) It contains 58 species of which 16 are Philippine endemics.
Additionally this list is set to become an overview with links to info pages and photos creating an illustrated checklist / field guide. (Work in progress, last update 11 May 2026) See also part 1, Damselfly checklist here.

-Anax guttatus ; Leyte old record only (+Luzon, Polillo, Marinduque, Mindoro, Panay, Negros, Mindanao, Sulu)
-Anax panybeus ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran (+Bohol, Luzon, Marinduque, Negros, Panay, Mindanao, Sulu)
-Gynacantha alcathoe ; Samar (+ Homonhon, Mindanao, Sulu)
-Gynacantha dohrni ; Leyte (3 records 1987) (+Palawan, Malaysia)
-Gynacantha dobsoni ; 1 recent record Leyte
-Oligoaeschna uemurai ; Samar (+ Mindanao)
-Oligoaeschna sp.; Leyte (1 unidentified collected specimen)
-Tetracanthagyna bakeri ; Leyte (+Luzon, Mindoro, Mindanao, note all none "Luzon" records might rather belong to brunnea)
-Tetracanthagyna brunnea ; Leyte (new record June 2025, first for Phil. outside of Palawan, + Mindanao)
-Indaeschna baluga (synonym grubaueri?); 1 record from Samar 1997, photographed Leyte 5 August 2025 (+Luzon, Negros, Mindanao)


-Acrogomphus jubilaris ; Samar (1 old record only, +Borneo)
-Gomphidia kirschii (synonym platerosi); Samar, Leyte, Biliran (+ Homonhon, Luzon, Marinduque, Mindoro, Mindanao, Basilan)
-Heliogomphus bakeri ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran (+Homonhon, Luzon, Catanduanes, Mindoro, Panay, Negros, Sibuyan, Mindanao, Dinagat)
-Leptogomphus semperi ; old records from Samar, Leyte (+ Luzon, Mindanao, Basilan) New Leyte record teneral individual tentative


-Idionyx philippa (subfamily Synthemistidae (Tigertails) ; Samar, Leyte, Panaon, Biliran (+Luzon, Mindoro, Mindanao)
-Hemicordulia mindana ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran? (+Mindoro, Mindanao, Basilan, Dinagat, Palawan, Sulu + East Asia)
-Heteronaias heterodoxa ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran, Panaon (+widespread in Phil.)


-Macromidia samal ; Feb.'25 new Island record for Samar
-Acisoma panorpoides (Grizzled Pintail) ; Biliran, Samar, Leyte (+widespread Phil. +Asia)
-Agrionoptera insignis (Grenadier) ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran (+widespread in Phil.+ East Asia + Oceania incl. Australia) New island record for Biliran
-Brachydiplax chalybea (Oriental Blue Dasher) ; Biliran, Leyte, Samar (new island records +widespread in Phil. but previously not listed for Eastern Visayas except Bohol) + Asia
-Cratilla lineata (Emerald-banded Skimmer) ; Samar, Leyte (+widespread in Phil.+ Asia)
-Crocothemis servilia (Scarlet Skimmer) ; Samar, Leyte, Panaon (+widespread in Phil.+ Asia)
-Diplacina bolivari ; Biliran, Samar, Leyte, Panaon (+widespread in Phil.)
-Diplacina braueri ; Biliran, Samar, Leyte, Panaon (+widespread in Phil.)
-Diplacina nana ; Biliran, Samar, Leyte (+Mindanao, Bohol, Dinagat)
-Diplacodes trivialis (Chalky Percher) ; Biliran, Leyte, Samar, Panaon (+widespread Phil + Asia)
-Lathrecista asiatica (Asian Blood Tail) ; Biliran, Leyte, Samar (+widespread in Phil.+ Asia)
-Lyriothemis cleis (Bombardier) ; Samar, Leyte (15 Sept 2025), Panaon (+widespread in Phil.+ Asia)
rare, only 2 other Phil. records on iNat, from Mindanao; Picop and Zamboanga
-Lyriothemis latro ; Samar (+Bohol, Mt Makiling on Luzon) (In need of rediscovery, no images, no recent records, described 1937, endemic)
-Macrodiplax cora (Wandering Pennant) ; Biliran new record (+Bohol, Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro, Palawan)
-Nannophya pygmaea (Scarlet Pygmy/Dwarf) ; Samar, Leyte, Panaon (+Mindoro, Mindanao, Dinagat + East Asia)
-Neurothemis ramburii (Red Percher) ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran, Panaon (+widespread Phil. and Asia)
-Neurothemis terminata (Straight-edge Red Parasol) ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran, Panaon (+widespread Phil. and Asia)
-Onychothemis abnormis ; Samar, Leyte (+Luzon, Mindoro, Bohol) endemic
-Orthetrum chrysis (Brown-backed Red Marsh Hawk) ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran (+widespread in Phil. + Asia)
-Orthetrum luzonicum (Slender Blue Skimmer) ; Leyte new record, Samar new record May 2026 (+Luzon, Mindoro, Palawan + Asia)
-Orthetrum pruinosum (Crimson-tailed Marsh Hawk) ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran, Panaon (+widespread Phil. and Asia)
-Orthetrum serapia (Green Skimmer) ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran, Panaon (+widespread Phil. + Fiji, Papua, Solomon, Australia)
-Orthetrum testaceum (Orange Skimmer) ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran, Panaon (+widespread Phil. + Asia)
-Pantala flavescens (Wandering Glider) ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran, Panaon (+widespread Phil. + World)
-Hydrobasileus croceus (Amber-winged Glider) ; Samar (Sept.'24, new Island record)
-Potamarcha congener (Swampwatcher) ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran, Panaon (+widespread Phil. + Asia, Oceania)
-Raphismia bispina (Mangrove Dwarf) ; Biliran, Leyte, Samar (+widespread in Phil. + Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia)
-Rhodothemis rufa (Rufous Marsh Glider) ; Leyte (+Mindanao, Palawan, Polillo, Dinagat, Dumaran, Sulu + Asia)
-Rhyothemis variegata (Common Picture Wing) ; Samar, Leyte (+widespread but scarce in Phil. + SE Asia, New Guinea, Australia, Pacific)
-Rhyothemis regia (Pied Sapphire Flutterer) ; Samar, Leyte (+Mindoro, Mindanao, Dinagat, Palawan, Sulu + Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia)
- Rhyothemis triangularis (Asian Sapphire Flutterer) ; Samar, (+Mindoro, Mindanao, Palawan, Sulu + Asia)
-Tetrathemis irregularis (Rainforest Elf) ; Samar, Leyte (new record) (+Luzon, Mindoro, Masbate, Sibuyan, Mindanao, Dinagat, Palawan, Sulu + Asia, Australia)
-Tholymis tillarga (Twister) ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran (+widespread in Phil.+ Africa-Asia-Australia-Pacific)
-Tramea rosenbergi ; Samar, Leyte (+Luzon, Mindanao + Sulawesi, Maluku)
-Tramea transmarina (Red Glider) ; Samar (new island record) (+widespread Phil.+ Asia)
-Trithemis aurora (Crimson Dropwing) ; Samar, Leyte, Panaon (+widespread Phil. + Asia)
-Trithemis adelpha ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran new record (+ Luzon, Mindanao) (Phil. endemic)
-Trithemis festiva (Indigo Dropwing) ; Biliran, Samar, Leyte, Panaon (+widespread Phil. + SE Europe – Asia – New Guinea)
-Urothemis bisignata ; Leyte new records (+Phil. scarce)
-Zyxomma obtusum (White Dusk-Darter) ; Samar, Leyte, Biliran (+widespread Phil. + Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia)
-Zyxomma petiolatum (Dingy Dusk-Darter) ; Samar, Biliran (new records) (+widespread Phil. +Asia +Australia)

Possible (expected) Phil. species not listed for the Eastern Visayan islands of Samar, Leyte, Biliran or Panaon;
-Brachydiplax duivenbodei (Darkmouth) ; Bohol, Homonhon, Dinagat, recent Phil. record from Mindanao
-Camacinia gigantea (Sultan) ; Uncommon but widespread in Phil. including Luzon and Mindanao, recent records from Bohol.
-Nesoxenia lineata (Striped Grenadier) ; Homonhon, Mindoro, Mindanao, Palawan
-Rhyothemis sp. nov. (Philippine Flutterer) ; Luzon, Polillo, Mindanao (incl. own sighting see https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/248268276 )