Sympetrum
Encyclopedia
Sympetrum is a genus of small to medium sized skimmer
dragonflies
, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in the North America
. There are more than 50 species, predominantly living in the temperate
zone of the Northern Hemisphere
; no Sympetrum are native to Australia
.
Most North American darters fly in late summer and autumn, breeding in pond
s and foraging over meadow
s. Commonly, they are yellow-gold as juveniles, with mature males and some females becoming bright red on part or all of their bodies. An exception to this color scheme is the Black Darter
, Sympetrum danae.
The genus
includes the following species:
Libellulidae
The skimmers or perchers and their relatives form the Libellulidae, the largest dragonfly family in the world. It is sometimes considered to contain the Corduliidae as the subfamily Corduliinae and the Macromiidae as the subfamily Macromiinae. Even if these are excluded , there still remains a...
dragonflies
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. There are more than 50 species, predominantly living in the temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
zone of the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
; no Sympetrum are native to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Most North American darters fly in late summer and autumn, breeding in pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
s and foraging over meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
s. Commonly, they are yellow-gold as juveniles, with mature males and some females becoming bright red on part or all of their bodies. An exception to this color scheme is the Black Darter
Black Darter
The Black Darter or Black Meadowhawk is a dragonfly found in northern Europe, Asia, and North America. At about 30 mm long, it is Britain's smallest resident dragonfly...
, Sympetrum danae.
The genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
includes the following species:
- Sympetrum ambiguumSympetrum ambiguumThe Blue-faced Meadowhawk is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae.-Description:The aqua blue face of the Blue-faced Meadowhawk may not be obvious to a casual observer, but is an important field mark distinguishing it from similar looking Meadowhawks in the genus Sympetrum, such as Sympetrum...
– Blue-faced Meadowhawk - Sympetrum anomalum
- Sympetrum arenicolor
- Sympetrum baccha
- Sympetrum chaconi
- Sympetrum commixtum
- Sympetrum cordulegaster
- Sympetrum corruptum – Variegated Meadowhawk
- Sympetrum costiferumSympetrum costiferumThe Saffron-winged Meadowhawk is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum. It is found across northern and central United States and most of Canada, including a southern portion of the Northwest Territories....
– Saffron-winged Meadowhawk - Sympetrum croceolum
- Sympetrum daliensis
- Sympetrum danae – Black Darter, Black Meadowhawk
- Sympetrum darwinianum
- Sympetrum depressiusculum – Spotted Darter
- Sympetrum dilatatumSympetrum dilatatumSympetrum dilatatum, the St. Helena Darter, is a species of dragonfly in family Libellulidae. It is endemic to Saint Helena where the last specimen recorded was in 1963. The species is assumed to be extinct.-Source:...
– St. Helena Darter - Sympetrum durum
- Sympetrum eroticum
- Sympetrum evanescens
- Sympetrum flaveolum – Yellow-winged Darter
- Sympetrum fonscolombii – Red-veined Darter
- Sympetrum frequensSympetrum frequensThe Autumn Darter is a species of dragonfly endemic to Japan. It lives near grasslands and can grow up to 40 mm in length. After emerging, these dragonflies migrate to high mountains where they feed until descending to breeding pools at lower levels....
– Autumn Darter - Sympetrum gilvum
- Sympetrum gracile
- Sympetrum haematoneura
- Sympetrum haritonovi – Dwarf Darter
- Sympetrum himalayanum
- Sympetrum hypomelas
- Sympetrum illotum – Cardinal Meadowhawk
- Sympetrum imitans
- Sympetrum infuscatum
- Sympetrum internumSympetrum internumThe Cherry-faced Meadowhawk is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum. It is found across northern and central United States and most of Canada, including southern portions of the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Its abdomen is brown, turning dark red at maturity in both sexes. The sides of the...
– Cherry-faced Meadowhawk - Sympetrum kunckeli
- Sympetrum maculatum
- Sympetrum madidum - Red-veined Meadowhawk
- Sympetrum meridionaleSympetrum meridionaleSympetrum meridionale, the Southern Darter, is a species of dragonfly belonging to the Skimmer family Libellulidae. It is present in most of Southern Europe....
– Southern Darter - Sympetrum nigrifemurSympetrum nigrifemurSympetrum nigrifemur, the Island Darter, is a species of dragonfly in family Libellulidae. It is found in Portugal and Spain. Its natural habitats are rivers, intermittent rivers, intermittent freshwater marshes, and ponds....
– Island Darter - Sympetrum nigrocreatum – Talamanca Meadowhawk
- Sympetrum nomurai
- Sympetrum obtrusum – White-faced Meadowhawk
- Sympetrum orientale
- Sympetrum pallipes – Striped Meadowhawk
- Sympetrum paramo
- Sympetrum parvulum
- Sympetrum pedemontanum – Banded Darter
- Sympetrum risi
- Sympetrum roraimae
- Sympetrum rubicundulumSympetrum rubicundulumThe Ruby Meadowhawk is a species of dragonfly of the family Libellulidae. It is found in northern United States and southern Ontario, Canada. Adult males are identifiable by a distinctive orange to brown face and red bodies...
– Ruby Meadowhawk - Sympetrum ruptum
- Sympetrum sanguineum – Ruddy Darter
- Sympetrum semicinctum – Band-winged Meadowhawk
- Sympetrum signiferum
- Sympetrum sinaiticum – Desert Darter
- Sympetrum speciosum
- Sympetrum striolatum – Common Darter
- Sympetrum tibiale
- Sympetrum uniforme
- Sympetrum verum
- Sympetrum vicinumSympetrum vicinumThe Yellow-legged Meadowhawk or Autumn Meadowhawk or is a member of the Libellulidae family and grows to 26–35 mm long.-Naiad:This is a small naiad, with a length of . It is mottled green and brown in color...
– Yellow-legged Meadowhawk, Autumn Meadowhawk - Sympetrum villosum
- Sympetrum vulgatum – Vagrant Darter, Moustached Darter
- Sympetrum xiaoi