''Sympetrum internum'', the cherry-faced meadowhawk, is a

dragonfly 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 threat ...

of the genus ''

Sympetrum ''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; 15 species ar ...

''. 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 abdomen are marked with black triangles and the legs are black. Some females have amber in basal areas of their wings. As their name suggests, faces are dark red when mature.Dunkle, S.W., ''Dragonflies through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America''. New York:Oxford University Press, 2000. Size: .''Sympetrum internum'' (cherry-faced meadowhawk)
Digital Atlas of Idaho This species overlaps with and is difficult to distinguish from the ruby, saffron-winged, and white-faced meadowhawks.

Similar species

*''

Sympetrum costiferum ''Sympetrum costiferum'', the saffron-winged meadowhawk, is a dragonfly 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 tropica ...

'' – saffron-winged meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum obtrusum'' – white-faced meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum rubicundulum'' – ruby meadowhawk

References

External links

Cherry-faced Meadowhawk
Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia
Cherry-faced Meadowhawk - ''Sympetrum internum''
Iowa Odonata Survey

North American Insects and Spiders Libellulidae Insects described in 1943 {{Libellulidae-stub