The waterfall damselfly, Paraphlebia zoe, is distributed in cloud forest areas in the Mexican states of Veracruz, Hidalgo, and San Luis Potosi. We developed twelve microsatellite loci for P. zoe from representative samples from the state of Veracruz. Microsatellites were tested for polymorphism on a panel of 24 individuals. The number of alleles ranged from 3 to 11, observed heterozygosity from 0.083 to 0.875, and the fixation index from 0.021 to 0.563. These loci are the first to be described and characterized for P. zoe and should prove useful for population genetics in support of the conservation of this vulnerable species. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011.