| Red-veined darter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male | |
| Female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Infraorder: | Anisoptera |
| Family: | Libellulidae |
| Genus: | Sympetrum |
| Species: | S. fonscolombii |
| Binomial name | |
| Sympetrum fonscolombii (Selys, 1840) | |
| Synonyms | |
Sympetrum fonscolombeiSelys, 1840 | |
The red-veined darter or nomad [2] (Sympetrum fonscolombii) is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum . [3]
There is genetic and behavioural evidence that S. fonscolombii is not closely related to the other members of the genus Sympetrum and it will at some time in the future be removed from this genus.[ citation needed ]
Sympetrum fonscolombii was named under the protonym Libellula fonscolombii by the Belgian entomologist Edmond de Sélys Longchamps, in 1840, in honor of the French entomologist Étienne of Fonscolombe (hence the species name). [4] Its name is sometimes spelt fonscolombei instead of fonscolombii but Askew (2004) gives the latter as the correct spelling.
Sympetrum fonscolombii is a widespread and common species in much of central and southern Europe including most Mediterranean islands, North Africa, the Middle East, Mongolia, south-western Asia, including the Indian Subcontinent, [5] the Indian Ocean Islands and Sri Lanka. [1] In Europe it is resident in the south of its range but in some years it migrates northward. From the 1990s onwards has increasingly been found in northwest Europe, including Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Britain and Ireland. It is the only Libellulidae to be found in the Azores and it is also found on the Canary Islands and Madeira. [1]
It breeds in a wide range of habitats including marshes, lakes, ponds, permanent and seasonal rivers. [6] [7] It is able to recolonize dry areas after a rainfall. [1]
Sympetrum fonscolombii can reach a body length of 38–40 millimetres (1.5–1.6 in). [8] This species is similar to other Sympetrum species but a good view with binoculars should give a positive identification, especially with a male.
Males have a red abdomen, [8] redder than many other Sympetrum species. The frons and the thorax are red-brown. The eyes are brown above and blue/grey below. [8] The wings have red veins and the wing bases of the hind-wings are yellow. [8] The pterostigma is pale yellow with a border of black veins. [8] [6]
Female are similar but the abdomen is ochre yellow, [8] not red, with two black lines along each side. [8] The wings have yellow veins at the costa, leading edge and base, not red veins as found in the males. [8] The legs of both sexes are mostly black with some yellow. [6]
Immature males are like females but often with more red and a single line along each side of the abdomen.
Male S. fonscolombii can be mistaken for Crocothemis erythraea as both are very red dragonflies with yellow bases to the wings, red veins and pale pterostigma. However C. erythraea has no black on the legs, a broader body and no black on the head. Also C. erythraea females do not oviposit in tandem. The gestalt image of these two species is different and with some experience are easy to tell apart.
Sympetrum fonscolombii can be seen on the wing throughout the year around the Mediterranean and in the south of its range, however, its main flight period is May to October [8] and it is scarce during the winter months. It is a territorial species with the males often sitting on an exposed perch.
After copulation the pair stay in tandem for egg laying and pairs can be seen over open water with the female dipping her abdomen into the water depositing eggs. Pairs are known to fly over the sea in tandem dipping into the salt water where the eggs soon perish. The eggs and larvae develop within a few months and S. fonscolombii unlike most other European dragonflies has more than one generation a year. Some larvae overwinter.
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threatens dragonfly populations around the world. Adult dragonflies are characterized by a pair of large, multifaceted, compound eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, sometimes with coloured patches, and an elongated body. Many dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colours produced by structural coloration, making them conspicuous in flight. An adult dragonfly's compound eyes have nearly 24,000 ommatidia each.
Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along the body when at rest, unlike dragonflies which hold the wings flat and away from the body. Damselflies have existed since the Jurassic, and are found on every continent except Antarctica.
Libellula depressa, the broad-bodied chaser or broad-bodied darter, is one of the most common dragonflies in Europe and central Asia. It is very distinctive with a very broad flattened abdomen, four wing patches and, in the male, the abdomen becomes pruinose blue.
The common darter is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae native to Eurasia. It is one of the most common dragonflies in Europe, occurring in a wide variety of water bodies, though with a preference for breeding in still water such as ponds and lakes. In the south of its range adults are on the wing all year round.
The ruddy darter is a species of dragonfly of the family Libellulidae.
The scarlet dragonfly is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Its common names include broad scarlet, common scarlet-darter, and scarlet darter.
The widow skimmer is one of the group of dragonflies known as king skimmers. The nymphs live in the water, molting and growing until they are ready to emerge from the water and then molting a final time to reveal their wings.
Sympetrum vicinum, the Yellow-Legged Meadowhawk is one of some fifteen North American species of autumn meadowhawk, which are members of the Odonate family Libellulidae. It grows to 26–35 mm long.
Chalcolestes parvidens, formerly Lestes parvidens, is a damselfly of the family Lestidae. It has a metallic green body and at rest it holds its wings away from its body. Its common name in English is the eastern willow spreadwing.
The band-winged meadowhawk is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum belonging to the family Libellulidae.
Aeshna affinis, the southern migrant hawker or blue-eyed hawker, is a dragonfly found in southern Europe and Asia. It is in the family Aeshnidae and is very similar in appearance to A. mixta.
Prodasineura verticalis is a damselfly in the family Platycnemididae. It is commonly known as the red-striped black bambootail or black bambootail.
Sympetrum madidum, the red-veined meadowhawk, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae.
Anax parthenope, the lesser emperor, is a dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae. It is found in Southern Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Asia.
Chalcolestes viridis, formerly Lestes viridis, is a damselfly of the family Lestidae. It has a metallic green body and at rest it holds its wings away from its body. Its common name is the willow emerald damselfly, the green emerald damselfly, or the western willow spreadwing. It has an elongated abdomen and pale brown spots on its wings and resides in areas of still water with overhanging trees.
Odonata are insects with an incomplete metamorphosis (hemimetabolous). The aquatic larva or nymph hatches from an egg, and develops through eight to seventeen instars before leaving the water and emerging as the winged adult or imago.
Lestes dorothea, the forest spreadwing, is a damselfly species in the family Lestidae. It is distributed from south and northeast India to Thailand and Malaysia.
Media related to Sympetrum fonscolombii at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Sympetrum fonscolombii at Wikispecies
