The red-veined darter or nomad (''Sympetrum fonscolombii'') 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 Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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 ...

''.

Taxonomy

There is genetic and behavioural evidence that ''S. fonscolombii'' is not closely related to the other members of the genus ''

'' and it will at some time in the future be removed from this genus.

Etymology

''Sympetrum fonscolombii'' was named under the

protonym In the scientific name of organisms, basionym or basyonym means the original name on which a new name is based; the author citation of the new name should include the authors of the basionym in parentheses. The term "basionym" is used in both botan ...

'' Libellula fonscolombii '' by the Belgian entomologist

Edmond de Sélys Longchamps Baron Michel Edmond de Selys Longchamps (25 May 1813 – 11 December 1900) was a Belgium, Belgian Liberal Party (Belgium), Liberal Party politician and scientist. Selys Longchamps has been regarded as the founding figure of odonatology, the stud ...

, in 1840, in honor of the French entomologist Étienne of Fonscolombe (hence the species name).Sélys-Longchamps, de, E. 1840. Monographie des libellulidées d'Europe. ''Libellula fonscolombii'' , Librairie Roret, 220 pages, Paris Its name is sometimes spelt ''fonscolombei'' instead of ''fonscolombii'' but Askew (2004) gives the latter as the correct spelling.

Distribution

''Sympetrum fonscolombii'' is a widespread and common species in much of central and southern

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

including most Mediterranean islands,

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

, south-western

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, including the

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

, the

Indian Ocean Islands The islands of the Indian Ocean are part of either the eastern, western, or southern areas. Some prominently large islands include Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java, and Lesser Sunda Islands. Eastern Indian Oc ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. In Europe it is resident in the south of its range but in some years it migrates northward. From the 1990s onwards has increasingly been found in northwest Europe, including

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It is the only

Libellulidae The chasers, darters, skimmers, and perchers and their relatives form the Libellulidae, the largest family of dragonflies. It is sometimes considered to contain the Corduliidae as the subfamily Corduliinae and the Macromiidae as the subfamily M ...

to be found in the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

and it is also found on the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

and

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

Habitat

It breeds in a wide range of habitats including marshes, lakes, ponds, permanent and seasonal rivers. It is able to recolonize dry areas after a rainfall.

Identification

''Sympetrum fonscolombii'' can reach a body length of .British Dragonfly Society
/ref> This species 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 frons and the thorax are red-brown. The eyes are brown above and blue/grey below. The wings have red veins and the wing bases of the hind-wings are yellow. The

pterostigma The pterostigma (plural: pterostigmata) is a group of specialized cells in the outer wings of insects, which are often thickened or coloured, and thus stand out from other cells. It is particularly noticeable in dragonflies, but present also in ...

is pale yellow with a border of black veins. Female are similar but the abdomen is ochre yellow, not red, with two black lines along each side. The wings have yellow veins at the costa, leading edge and base, 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 and a single line along each side of the abdomen. Male ''S. fonscolombii'' can be mistaken for ''

Crocothemis erythraea The scarlet dragonfly (''Crocothemis erythraea'') is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Its common names include broad scarlet, common scarlet-darter, and scarlet darter. Status and distribution The scarlet dragonfly is a common ...

'' as both are very red dragonflies with yellow bases to the wings, red veins and pale pterostigma. However ''C. erythraea'' has no black on the legs, a broader body and no black on the head. Also ''C. erythraea'' females do not oviposit in tandem. The gestalt image of these two species is different and with some experience are easy to tell apart. File:Darter August 2007-25.jpg, Head of female showing blue/grey underside of eyes and black and yellow legs File:Red veined darter pterostigma.JPG, Pale pterostigma with border of black veins File:Red-veined darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) immature male Cyprus.jpg, Immature male File:Darter August 2007-18.jpg, Male showing some red on abdomen File:Darter August 2007-1.jpg, Mature male

Biology and behaviour

''Sympetrum fonscolombii'' can be seen on the wing throughout the year around the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

and in the south of its range, however, 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 An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop. Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to: Biology * Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms Food * Eggs as food Places * Egg, Austria * Egg, Switzerland ...

soon perish. The eggs and larvae develop within a few months and ''S. fonscolombii'' unlike most other European dragonflies has more than one generation a year. Some larvae overwinter. File:Sympetrum fonscolombii qtl7c.jpg, Mating wheel File:Red-veined darter.jpg, The pair stay in tandem for egg laying Sympetrum fonscolombii qtl5.jpg,

Exuvia In biology, exuviae are the remains of an exoskeleton and related structures that are left after ecdysozoans (including insects, crustaceans and arachnids) have molted. The exuviae of an animal can be important to biologists as they can often b ...

References

* Askew, R.R. (2004) The Dragonflies of Europe. (revised ed.) Harley Books.pp180 and 213 . * Boudot JP., ''et al''. (2009) Atlas of the Odonata of the Mediterranean and North Africa. ''Libellula'' Supplement 9:1-256. * Dijkstra, K-D.B & Lewington, R. (2006) Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe. British Wildlife Publishing. .

External links

African Dragonflies and Damselflies OnlineRed-veined darter in Africa
* *
Red-veined darter
Species text in the Online Atlas of South African Odonata {{Taxonbar, from=Q1471936 Dragonflies of Europe Libellulidae Insects described in 1840 Taxa named by Edmond de Sélys Longchamps