Telebasis rojinegra (Red-and-black Firetail)

I saw just one of these and had to settle for a single photograph using flash (and my flash is not strong).

This subject generated a bit of interesting interaction on iNaturalist. My initial submission of T. rojinegra was based on Phil’s submission of the same insect which had been verified by Dennis Paulson. The debate centred around the very similar T. boomsmae (Belize Firetail) which supposedly has eyes “nearly black above and yellow below”. The deciding factor is the paraprocts – the lower anal appendages – which Dennis could see and used to verify T. rojinegra.

After all that, it is a very attractive damselfly.

male