''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized

skimmer Skimmer may refer to: Animals *Skimmer (bird), a common name for birds in the genus ''Rynchops'' *Skimmer (dragonfly), a common name for dragonflies in the family Libellulidae *Water strider or skimmer, a common name for insects in the family Ge ...

dragonflies A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threa ...

, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

zone of the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

; no ''Sympetrum'' species is native to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. Most North American darters fly in late summer and autumn, breeding in

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from tha ...

s and foraging over

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...

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 ''Sympetrum danae'', the black darter or black meadowhawk is a dragonfly found in northern Europe, Asia, and North America. At about long, it is Britain's smallest resident dragonfly. It is a very active late summer insect typical of heathland ...

''). The

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

includes the following species: *'' Sympetrum ambiguum'' – blue-faced meadowhawk *''

Sympetrum anomalum ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *'' Sympetrum arenicolor'' *'' Sympetrum baccha'' *'' Sympetrum chaconi'' *''

Sympetrum commixtum ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *''

Sympetrum cordulegaster ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *''

Sympetrum corruptum The variegated meadowhawk (''Sympetrum corruptum'') is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae, native to North America. Description The variegated meadowhawk is a small to medium-sized dragonfly with a slender abdomen, often reaching a length ...

'' – variegated meadowhawk *''

Sympetrum costiferum The saffron-winged meadowhawk (''Sympetrum costiferum'') is a dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are trop ...

'' – saffron-winged meadowhawk *''

Sympetrum croceolum ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *''

Sympetrum daliensis ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *''

'' – black darter, black meadowhawk *''

Sympetrum darwinianum ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *''

Sympetrum depressiusculum ''Sympetrum depressiusculum'', or, the spotted darter, is a dragonfly species from the family Libellulidae, distributed across temperate parts of Eurasia. Description Adults reach 29 to 34 mm in body length, of which 20–24 mm is ...

'' – spotted darter *''

Sympetrum dilatatum The St. Helena Darter (''Sympetrum dilatatum'') was a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It was endemic to Saint Helena. In 2021, it was declared extinct by the IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; offi ...

'' – St. Helena darter *'' Sympetrum durum'' *'' Sympetrum eroticum'' *'' Sympetrum evanescens'' *'' Sympetrum flaveolum'' – yellow-winged darter *''

Sympetrum fonscolombii The red-veined darter or nomad (''Sympetrum fonscolombii'') is a dragonfly of the genus ''Sympetrum''. Taxonomy There is genetic and behavioural evidence that ''S. fonscolombii'' is not closely related to the other members of the genus ''Sympetr ...

'' – red-veined darter, nomad *''

Sympetrum frequens The Autumn darter is a species of dragonfly endemic to Japan. It lives near grasslands and can grow up to 40 mm in length.''ふしぎがわかる　しぜん図鑑　こんちゅう'', page 36. Froebel-Kan CO., LTD., 1999 After emerging, th ...

'' *'' Sympetrum gilvum'' *'' Sympetrum gracile'' *'' Sympetrum haematoneura'' *'' Sympetrum haritonovi'' – dwarf darter *'' Sympetrum himalayanum'' *'' Sympetrum hypomelas'' *'' Sympetrum illotum'' – cardinal meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum imitans'' *'' Sympetrum infuscatum'' *''

Sympetrum internum The cherry-faced meadowhawk (''Sympetrum internum'') 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 abd ...

'' – cherry-faced meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum kunckeli'' *'' Sympetrum maculatum'' *'' Sympetrum madidum'' – red-veined meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum meridionale'' – southern darter *''

Sympetrum nigrifemur The Island Darter (''Sympetrum nigrifemur'') is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is endemic to the Canary Islands and to Madeira. Its natural habitats are rivers, intermittent rivers, intermittent freshwater marshes, a ...

'' – 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 The banded darter (''Sympetrum pedemontanum'') is a European species of dragonfly of the family Libellulidae. Description Males of the banded darter, like most members of the genus, have a red abdomen. The species' primary distinguishing feature ...

'' – banded darter *'' Sympetrum risi'' *'' Sympetrum roraimae'' *'' Sympetrum rubicundulum'' – ruby meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum ruptum'' *''

Sympetrum sanguineum The ruddy darter (''Sympetrum sanguineum'') is a species of dragonfly of the family Libellulidae. Distribution The ruddy darter is to be found in temperate regions throughout Europe *'' Sympetrum semicinctum'' – band-winged meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum signiferum'' *'' Sympetrum sinaiticum'' – desert darter *'' Sympetrum speciosum'' *'' Sympetrum striolatum'' – common darter *''

Sympetrum tibiale ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized Libellulidae, skimmer dragonfly, dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern ...

'' *'' Sympetrum uniforme'' *'' Sympetrum verum'' *'' Sympetrum vicinum'' – yellow-legged meadowhawk, autumn meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum villosum'' *'' Sympetrum vulgatum'' – vagrant darter, moustached darter *'' Sympetrum xiaoi''

References

Libellulidae Anisoptera genera Taxa named by Edward Newman Animal migration {{dragonfly-stub