The vagrant darter (''Sympetrum vulgatum'') is a European

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 ...

. The species takes its

English name English names are personal names used in, or originating in, England. In England, as elsewhere in the English-speaking world, a complete name usually consists of one or more given names, commonly referred to as first names, and a (most commonly ...

from its habit of occasionally appearing as a rare

vagrant Vagrancy is the condition of wandering homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants usually live in poverty and support themselves by travelling while engaging in begging, scavenging, or petty theft. In Western countries, ...

north of its normal range. However, it is likely to be under-recorded because it is very similar to the

common darter The common darter (''Sympetrum striolatum'') is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae native to Eurasia. It is one of the most common dragonflies in Europe, occurring in a wide variety of water bodies, though with a preference for breeding in ...

(''S. striolatum''). The species is common in central and northeast Europe. It breeds in standing water.

References

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Fauna Europaea
Libellulidae Dragonflies of Europe Insects described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Libellulidae-stub