Red-veined darter

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Red-veined darter
Male red-veined darter
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Odonata Suborder: Anisoptera Family: Libellulidae Genus: Sympetrum Species: S. fonscolombii
Binomial name
Sympetrum fonscolombii (Selys, 1840)

The red-veined darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum. It is a common species in southern Europe and from the 1990s onwards has increasingly been found in northwest Europe, including Britain and Ireland.

The wingtips of this species have small yellow-coloured pterostigma, edged with black, which distinguish it from the Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum). S. fonscolombii belongs to the family Libellulidae, whose members are strong fliers often perching on exposed reeds from where they dart out to snatch prey. Adult red-veined darters are red (males) or yellow (females), showing beautiful saturated colours. Young animals may be greenish, with black stripes on the thorax and abdomen, while the definitive colours are not fully developed.

[edit] Gallery

Female red-veined darter	Male red-veined darter	Male red-veined darter	Male red-veined darter
Female red-veined darter	Female red-veined darter	Female red-veined darter	Young red-veined darter
Head of a red-veined darter