Red-veined darter
Sympetrum fonscolombii
Sympetrum fonscolombii 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, redder than many other Sympetrum species. The wings have red veins and
the wing bases of the hind-wings are yellow. The pterostigma are pale with a
border of black veins and the underside of the eye is blue/grey. The female is
similar but the abdomen is yellow, not red, and the wings have yellow veins,
not red veins as found in the males. The legs of both sexes are mostly black
with some yellow. Immature males are like females but often with more red.
Its
main flight period is May to October 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.
It is found in, and reproduces in, a wide range of
habitats including permanent and ephemeral shallow and sunny standing waters,
lakes, ponds, permanent and seasonal rivers. It is able to recolonize dry areas
after a rainfall
Occurs
in much of central and southern Europe including most Mediterranean islands, in
Africa, the Middle East and south-western Asia including India, Sri Lanka, and
Mongolia.
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