Insects of La Saladita — Butterflies, Beetles & Dragonflies, Guerrero Mexico

Field guide

Photo field guide

Insects you'll meet

Butterflies (the signature group)

View species detail for Danaus plexippus Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Monarca Monarch Danaus plexippus details → Iconic migrant

View species detail for Heliconius charithonia Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia)

Cebra Zebra Longwing Heliconius charithonia details → Slow-flying, striped

View species detail for Agraulis vanillae Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)

Pasionaria Gulf Fritillary Agraulis vanillae details → Orange-red, common

View species detail for Anteos clorinde White Angled-Sulphur (Anteos clorinde)

Blanca naranja White Angled-Sulphur Anteos clorinde details → Big yellow-white

View species detail for Phoebis sennae Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae)

Mariposa azufre Cloudless Sulphur Phoebis sennae details → Bright yellow, fast

View species detail for Eurema daira Barred Yellow (Eurema daira)

Amarilla rayada Barred Yellow Eurema daira details → Small yellow grasslands

View species detail for Battus polydamas Polydamas Swallowtail (Battus polydamas)

Polidamus Polydamas Swallowtail Battus polydamas details → Black with yellow border

View species detail for Hamadryas februa Gray Cracker (Hamadryas februa)

Mariposa crujidora Gray Cracker Hamadryas februa details → Clicks when flying

View species detail for Heliconius erato Red Postman (Heliconius erato)

Cartero rojo Red Postman Heliconius erato details → Wet forest, aposematic

View species detail for Dryas iulia Julia Heliconian (Dryas iulia)

Julia Julia Heliconian Dryas iulia details → Bright orange, fast flier

View species detail for Anartia fatima Banded Peacock (Anartia fatima)

Bandera Banded Peacock Anartia fatima details → Common, open areas

Dragonflies & damselflies

View species detail for Erythemis vesiculosa Great Pondhawk (Erythemis vesiculosa)

Halcón verde Great Pondhawk Erythemis vesiculosa details → Bright green, lagoon edge

View species detail for Pantala flavescens Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens)

Libélula errante Wandering Glider Pantala flavescens details → Long-distance migrant

View species detail for Erythrodiplax funerea Black Setwing (Erythrodiplax funerea)

Libélula negra Black Setwing Erythrodiplax funerea details → Dark, lagoon-dependent

View species detail for Hetaerina americana American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana)

Libélula rubí American Rubyspot Hetaerina americana details → Damselfly, ruby-winged

View species detail for Orthemis discolor Carmine Skimmer (Orthemis discolor)

Libélula carmesí Carmine Skimmer Orthemis discolor details → Ponds, wet season

Beetles & bees

View species detail for Apis mellifera Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Abeja melífera Western Honeybee Apis mellifera details → Hives in dry forest

View species detail for Xylocopa mexicanorum Mexican Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa mexicanorum)

Abeja carpintera Mexican Carpenter Bee Xylocopa mexicanorum details → Big black, bores in wood

View species detail for Cotinis mutabilis Figeater Beetle (Cotinis mutabilis)

Mayate verde Figeater Beetle Cotinis mutabilis details → Iridescent green, slow flight

View species detail for Quesada gigas Quesada Cicada (Quesada gigas)

Chicharra gigante Quesada Cicada Quesada gigas details → Loudest cicada, dry season

Caution & pest

View species detail for Polistes carnifex Executioner Wasp (Polistes carnifex) — Saladita field observation

Avispa verdugo / Avispón Executioner Wasp Polistes carnifex details → Schmidt 4.0+ sting · social, swarms when nest threatened · find & remove nest

View species detail for Lonomia electra Lonomia Caterpillar (Lonomia electra)

Oruga asesina Lonomia Caterpillar Lonomia electra details → Venomous spines — do not touch

View species detail for Reduvius personatus Kissing Bug (Triatoma) (Reduvius personatus)

Chinche besucona Kissing Bug (Triatoma) Reduvius personatus details → Chagas vector — knows light at night

View species detail for Aedes aegypti Yellow Fever Mosquito (Aedes aegypti)

Mosquito Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti details → Dengue/Zika vector

View species detail for Solenopsis geminata Tropical Fire Ant (Solenopsis geminata)

Hormiga colorada Tropical Fire Ant Solenopsis geminata details → Painful sting, ground nests

View species detail for Centruroides nigrescens Dark Bark Scorpion (Centruroides nigrescens)

Alacrán / Escorpión Dark Bark Scorpion Centruroides nigrescens details → Arachnid, not insect · medically significant sting · shake out shoes & bedding

More species photographed nearby

View species detail for Antigonus erosus Common Spurwing (Antigonus erosus)

Espuela común Common Spurwing Antigonus erosus details → Skipper, dry forest

View species detail for Strymon albata White Scrub-Hairstreak (Strymon albata)

Rayita blanca White Scrub-Hairstreak Strymon albata details → Tiny hairstreak, edges

View species detail for Eumaeus toxea Mexican Cycadian (Eumaeus toxea)

Mariposa de cícada Mexican Cycadian Eumaeus toxea details → Cycad specialist, sequesters toxins

View species detail for Temenis laothoe Orange Banner (Temenis laothoe)

Bandera naranja Orange Banner Temenis laothoe details → Forest brushfoot

View species detail for Elbella scylla Scylla Firetip (Elbella scylla)

Punta de fuego Scylla Firetip Elbella scylla details → Skipper, fast and orange

View species detail for Consul fabius Tiger Leafwing (Consul fabius)

Hoja tigre Tiger Leafwing Consul fabius details → Cryptic underwing, dry-forest

View species detail for Cecropterus doryssus White-tailed Longtail (Cecropterus doryssus)

Cola larga blanca White-tailed Longtail Cecropterus doryssus details → Long-tailed skipper

View species detail for Memphis forreri Forrer's Leafwing (Memphis forreri)

Hoja Forrer Forrer's Leafwing Memphis forreri details → Cryptic, rapid flight

View species detail for Anatya guttata Common Blue-eye (Anatya guttata)

Ojo azul Common Blue-eye Anatya guttata details → Damselfly, lagoon edge

View species detail for Erythemis plebeja Pin-tailed Pondhawk (Erythemis plebeja)

Halcón de estanque Pin-tailed Pondhawk Erythemis plebeja details → Dragonfly, lagoon predator

View species detail for Colobura dirce Dirce Beauty (Colobura dirce)

Belleza de Dirce Dirce Beauty Colobura dirce details → Tree-trunk-perching brushfoot

View species detail for Anartia jatrophae White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae)

Pavo blanco White Peacock Anartia jatrophae details → Brushfoot, lagoon margin

View species detail for Eurema boisduvaliana Boisduval's Yellow (Eurema boisduvaliana)

Amarilla de Boisduval Boisduval's Yellow Eurema boisduvaliana details → Sulphur, open ground

View species detail for Lycorea halia Tiger-mimic Queen (Lycorea halia)

Reina tigre Tiger-mimic Queen Lycorea halia details → Monarch-mimic, milkweed

View species detail for Adelpha fessonia Mexican Sister (Adelpha fessonia)

Hermana mexicana Mexican Sister Adelpha fessonia details → Forest brushfoot

View species detail for Melanis acroleuca White-tipped Metalmark (Melanis acroleuca)

Marca metálica White-tipped Metalmark Melanis acroleuca details → Iridescent, forest-edge

View species detail for Camponotus sericeiventris Shimmering Golden Sugar Ant (Camponotus sericeiventris)

Hormiga dorada Golden Sugar Ant Camponotus sericeiventris details → Arboreal, gold-sheen

View species detail for Chilocorus cacti Cactus Lady Beetle (Chilocorus cacti)

Mariquita de cactus Cactus Lady Beetle Chilocorus cacti details → Beetle, scale-insect predator

View species detail for Neostylopyga rhombifolia Harlequin Cockroach (Neostylopyga rhombifolia)

Cucaracha arlequín Harlequin Cockroach Neostylopyga rhombifolia details → Bold black-and-yellow, harmless

Listen for these — the soundscape

The dry forest behind Saladita has its own daily acoustic schedule. Cicadas dominate the heat of the day with droning calls audible from hundreds of meters. Crickets take over after dusk. These are the most likely callers — recordings from iNaturalist research-grade observations of the same species at other Mexican Pacific sites.

Giant Cicada

Quesada gigas

Iconic dry-season call · heard at midday

CC BY-NC-ND · via iNaturalist

The largest cicada in the Americas (~6 cm). Loud rasping song carries across the forest canopy; one of the dominant sounds of the Mexican Pacific dry season.

Tropical House Cricket

Gryllodes sigillatus

Night chirp · pantropical

CC BY-NC · via iNaturalist

Sharp, evenly spaced chirps after dusk. The cricket you hear from the casita at night, every night, all rainy season.

Variable Field Cricket

Gryllus lineaticeps

Trilling chorus · grassy edges

CC BY-NC · via iNaturalist

Lower, more continuous trill than the house cricket. Two or three calling together produce a wash of sound; dozens make a chorus.

Cri-cri Tree Cricket

Oecanthus rohiniae

Soft purring · shrubs and trees

CC BY-NC · via iNaturalist

Tree crickets are the soft pulsing sound behind the louder field crickets — a continuous purr from the shrub layer. Recently described from Mexico (2019).

Bruner Longwing Katydid

Capnobotes bruneri

Long buzz · dry scrub at night

CC BY-NC · via iNaturalist

Sustained buzzing call distinct from the crickets — coarser, longer-pulsed. Range-confirmed for the Mexican Pacific dry forest; the most likely large katydid you'll hear at Saladita.

Photos and audio via iNaturalist (CC-licensed). Insect diversity here is enormous — these are highlights. Butterflies are the signature group, with the dry forest behind the village supporting dozens of species in the wet-season flush. Fireflies are seen here, but none has yet been identified to species on iNaturalist. Mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) are the most medically important: dengue and Zika both circulate regionally. Use repellent at dawn and dusk during rainy season.

Notable groups

Three orders, three habitats

🦋 Lepidoptera

Butterflies & Moths

The best-documented insect group here. Open scrub, beach vegetation, and flowering trees provide continuous nectar through much of the year. Sulphurs, whites, nymphalids, swallowtails, and blues are all well represented. Migratory Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) and sulphurs pass through Sep–Nov on their southbound movement along the Pacific coast.

Top recorded species (iNat + GBIF, 2000–2025)

Eurema daira — Barred Yellow n=66
Hemiargus ceraunus — Ceraunus Blue n=56
Ascia monuste — Great Southern White n=48
Anartia fatima — Banded Peacock n=46
Marpesia petreus — Ruddy Daggerwing n=45
Euptoieta hegesia — Mexican Fritillary n=44
Battus polydamas — Polydamas Swallowtail n=41
Heliconius erato — Red Passion Flower Butterfly n=41

🪲 Odonata

Dragonflies & Damselflies

The estuary lagoon behind the beach is the key habitat. Dragonlets, skimmers, pondhawks, and dashers patrol the water margins year-round. Damselflies — firetails and damsels — are present but undersampled due to size. The strongest records come from Jan–Feb and the rainy season (Jul–Sep) when lagoon water levels are highest.

Top recorded species

Erythrodiplax funerea — Black-winged Dragonlet n=37
Orthemis discolor — Carmine Skimmer n=18
Erythemis vesiculosa — Great Pondhawk n=17
Telebasis salva — Desert Firetail n=15
Dythemis sterilis — Brown Setwing n=9
Micrathyria hagenii — Thornbush Dasher n=8
Perithemis intensa — Mexican Amberwing n=6

🪲 Coleoptera

Beetles

Almost certainly the most species-rich insect order in the mangrove and dry forest — but the most undersampled in the data. Current records are biased toward conspicuous lady beetles and leaf beetles. Longhorns, buprestids, weevils, and ground beetles likely constitute the majority of local beetle diversity but require deliberate searching and specialist identification to record.

Top recorded species — data likely underrepresents true diversity

Epilachna tredecimnotata — Southern Squash Lady Beetle n=21
Zopherus nodulosus — Iron-clad Beetle n=15
Deloyala lecontei — Tortoise Beetle n=15
Cycloneda sanguinea — Spotless Lady Beetle n=12
Charidotella sexpunctata — Golden Tortoise Beetle n=12
Chilocorus cacti — Cactus Lady Beetle n=11
Acmaeodera trizonalis — Jewel Beetle n=11

Soundscape

The insect chorus

Cicadas dominate the dry-season soundscape (December–April). Multiple Diceroprocta and Tibicen species produce the high-volume chorus audible from the beach. Crickets and katydids take over at night near the lagoon margins year-round.

🦗 Hemiptera — Cicadidae

Cicadas

The loudest sound in the dry-season landscape. Cicada choruses begin at dawn and peak mid-morning; the amplitude is remarkable at close range. Multiple species documented in the Guerrero dry forest. iNaturalist sound observations for this group, when available, can be found via the link below — run the build script to embed them directly.

🦗 Orthoptera — Gryllidae

Crickets & Katydids

Nocturnal chirping near the lagoon and beach scrub, audible every night year-round. Several Gryllus and Neoconocephalus species documented in this coastal corridor. Most active Aug–Nov during and after the rainy season. The sound is a constant backdrop at any accommodation near the estuary.

Top observed species

Most recorded insects

Most frequently recorded

Top species (effort-normalized)

Eurema dairaUncommon · 1.23%
Hemiargus ceraunusUncommon · 1.05%
Marpesia petreusUncommon · peak Aug–Sep
Erythrodiplax funereaUncommon · peak Aug–Sep
Orthemis discolorUncommon · peak wet season

With 3,586 total insect records and 952 species, no individual species exceeds the 3% "Common" threshold. All top-30 are "Uncommon" by frequency. November bias corrected: wet-season species (Jul–Oct) were systematically undercounted in raw data — effort normalization restores their true peak timing.

Real peak season

Jul–Oct, not November

Raw records spike in November (901 vs 37 in May, about 24 times as many), driven by peak tourist season. After effort normalization, the biological peak is July–October (wet season). Species like Marpesia petreus (Ruddy Daggerwing) and Erythrodiplax funerea were miscategorized as November species in raw counts. Their real peak is August–September.

Top 30 insect species by combined iNaturalist + GBIF records within 25 km of La Saladita, 2000–2025. Lepidoptera dominate — a reflection of observer interest, not ecological dominance.

Scientific name	Common name	Order	Obs
Eurema daira	Barred Yellow	Lepidoptera	66
Hemiargus ceraunus	Ceraunus Blue	Lepidoptera	56
Ascia monuste	Great Southern White	Lepidoptera	48
Anartia fatima	Banded Peacock	Lepidoptera	46
Urbanus dorantes	Dorantes Longtail	Lepidoptera	46
Marpesia petreus	Ruddy Daggerwing	Lepidoptera	45
Euptoieta hegesia	Mexican Fritillary	Lepidoptera	44
Battus polydamas	Polydamas Swallowtail	Lepidoptera	41
Heliconius erato	Red Passion Flower Butterfly	Lepidoptera	41
Anartia jatrophae	White Peacock	Lepidoptera	40
Anthanassa tulcis	Tulcis Crescent	Lepidoptera	37
Erythrodiplax funerea	Black-winged Dragonlet	Odonata	37
Dryas iulia	Julia Heliconian	Lepidoptera	36
Siproeta stelenes	Malachite	Lepidoptera	36
Dione vanillae	Gulf Fritillary	Lepidoptera	35
Hamadryas februa	Gray Cracker	Lepidoptera	34
Phoebis sennae	Cloudless Sulphur	Lepidoptera	34
Pyrgus oileus	Tropical Checkered-Skipper	Lepidoptera	34
Microtia elva	Elva's Crescent	Lepidoptera	34
Antigonus erosus	Frayed Skipper	Lepidoptera	33
Orthemis discolor	Carmine Skimmer	Odonata	18
Erythemis vesiculosa	Great Pondhawk	Odonata	17
Telebasis salva	Desert Firetail	Odonata	15
Epilachna tredecimnotata	Southern Squash Lady Beetle	Coleoptera	21
Stenygra histrio	Longhorn Beetle	Coleoptera	16
Zopherus nodulosus	Iron-clad Beetle	Coleoptera	15
Deloyala lecontei	Tortoise Beetle	Coleoptera	15
Cycloneda sanguinea	Spotless Lady Beetle	Coleoptera	12
Charidotella sexpunctata	Golden Tortoise Beetle	Coleoptera	12
Chilocorus cacti	Cactus Lady Beetle	Coleoptera	11

Contribute observations

The insect dataset for this stretch of Guerrero coast is thin relative to what lives here. Every observation you submit to iNaturalist or Seek adds to the permanent scientific record — and helps future visitors and researchers understand what's present.

You don't need to identify to species. A photo of any insect with GPS coordinates and date is valuable. The community on iNaturalist will help with identification, and anything uploaded from here joins Proyecto Saladita's monitoring project automatically, where local observers see it.

🌿 Add an observation — iNaturalist 📱 Seek app — identify in the field

Project area: search "La Saladita" or "Guerrero coast" in iNaturalist to find nearby observations and existing projects.

Species with fewer than 10 records in this dataset should be considered sparse-data — useful as presence records but insufficient for seasonal inference.