There are some 471 species in North America [USA and Canada] and about 290 [some undescribed] in Costa Rica. Naturally some of those species are common to both countries. Since I have visited both the United States and more recently Costa Rica just once each looking for odonata, the North American trip being very late in their season and mainly a tourist trip, so rather than an exhaustive checklist, I have decided to list just those species that I have seen.
Zygoptera (Damselflies)
- Acanthagrion speculum (Costa Rican Wedgetail)
- Anisagrion allopterum (Middle American Pearlwing)
- Archilestes grandis (Great Spreadwing)
- Argia adamsi (Varied Dancer)
- Argia anceps (Cerulean Dancer)
- Argia chelata (Big Blue Dancer)
- Argia elongata (Thorn-tipped Dancer)
- Argia johannella (Bristle-tipped Dancer)
- Argia medullaris (Sky-blue Dancer)
- Argia translata (Dusky Dancer)
- Argia oenea (Fiery-eyed Dancer)
- Argia pulla (Purple Dancer)
- Argia ulmeca (Olmec Dancer)
- Ischnura capreolus (Tiny Forktail)
- Palaemnema nathalia (Nathalia Shadowdamsel)
- Palaemnema sp (a Shadowdamsel)
- Enallagma civile (Familiar Bluet)
- Hetaerina cruentata (Highland Rubyspot)
- Hetaerina majuscula (Purplish Rubyspot)
- Hetaerina miniata (Red-striped Rubyspot)
- Hetaerina titia (Smoky Rubyspot)
- Heteragrion erythrogastrum (Red-and-Black Flatwing)
- Heteragrion majus (Mountain Flatwing)
- Ischnura posita (Fragile Forktail)
- Ischnura verticalis (Eastern Forktail)
- Lestes scalaris (Wedge-striped Spreadwing)
- Mecistogaster modesta (Bromeliad Helicopter)
- Neoneura amelia (Amelia’s Threadtail)
- Philogenia peacocki (Blue Flatwing)
- Psaironeura angeloi (Wispy THreadtail)
- Telebasis digiticollis (Marsh Firetail)
- Telebasis filiola (Striped Firetail)
- Telebasis garleppi (Montane Firetail)
- Telebasis rojinegra (Red-and-black Firetail)
Anisoptera (Dragonflies)
- Anatya guttata (Common Blue-eye)
- Brechmorhoga pertinax (Masked Clubskimmer)
- Brechmorhoga praecox (Slender Clubskimmer)
- Brechmorhoga rapax (Amber-banded Clubskimmer)
- Brechmorhoga vivax (Vivacious Clubskimmer)
- Cannaphila insularis (Gray-waisted Skimmer)
- Dythemis nigra (Blue-eyed Setwing)
- Elasmothemis cannacrioides (Ruddy Streamskimmer)
- Epigomphus subobtusus (Common Knobtail)
- Erythemis attala (Black Pondhawk)
- Erythemis peruviana (Flame-tailed Pondhawk)
- Erythemis plebeja (Pin-tailed Pondhawk)
- Erythemis simplicicollis (Eastern Pondhawk)
- Erythemis vesiculosa (Great Pondhawk)
- Erythrodiplax andagoya (Andagoya Dragonlet)
- Erythrodiplax fusca (Red-faced Dragonlet)
- Erythrodiplax kimminsi (Chalk-marked Dragonlet)
- Gynacantha tibiata (Gold-tipped Darner)
- Idiataphe cubensis (Metallic Pennant)
- Libellula herculea (Hercules Skimmer)
- Macrothemis pseudimitans (White-tailed Sylph)
- Micrathyria aequalis (Spot-tailed Dasher)
- Micrathyria atra (Black Dasher)
- Micrathyria debilis (Peten Dasher)
- Micrathyria dictynna (Even-striped Dasher)
- Micrathyria mengeri (Fork-tipped Dasher)
- Micrathyria ocellata (Square-spotted Dasher)
- Micrathyria pseudeximia (Little Swamp Dasher)
- Micrathyria venezuelae (Forest Pond Dasher)
- Nephepeltia phryne (Spine-bellied Dryad)
- Orthemis cultriformis (Swamp Skimmer)
- Orthemis discolor (Carmine Skimmer)
- Orthemis ferruginea (Roseate Skimmer)
- Pachydiplax longipennis (Blue Dasher)
- Pantala flavescens (Wandering Glider)
- Perithemis electra (Golden Amberwing)
- Perithemis undescribed (Dancing Amberwing)
- Planiplax sanguiniventris (Mexican Scarlet-tail)
- Remartinia luteipennis (Malachite Darner)
- Rhionaeschna psilus (Turquoise-tipped Darner)
- Rhodopygia hinei (Brilliant Redskimmer)
- Sympetrum illotum (Cardinal Meadowhawk)
- Uracis fastigiata (Large Woodskimmer)
- Uracis imbuta (Tropical Woodskimmer)
- Zenithoptera fasciata (Amazon Sapphirewing)