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Sympetrum
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<p><i>Sympetrum</i> is a genus of small to medium-sized <a href="/facts/Libellulidae/yh8lhA70">skimmer</a> <a href="/facts/Dragonfly/rbkcYK0n">dragonflies</a>, known as darters in the <a href="/facts/UK/kuPAILt2">UK</a> and as meadowhawks in <a href="/facts/North_America/djNjCQIl">North America</a>. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the <a href="/facts/Temperate/6WPypCzC">temperate</a> zone of the <a href="/facts/Northern_Hemisphere/EFwyqL25">Northern Hemisphere</a>; 15 species are native to North America. No <i>Sympetrum</i> species is native to <a href="/facts/Australia/qLHpbppq">Australia</a>. </p><p>Most North American darters fly in late summer and autumn, breeding in <a href="/facts/Pond/He6abhfJ">ponds</a> and foraging over <a href="/facts/Meadow/gXJr3U3P">meadows</a>. 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 (<i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_danae/kXtnRbDL">Sympetrum danae</a></i>). </p><p>The <a href="/facts/Genus/m8EFjSms">genus</a> includes the following species: </p> <ul><li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_ambiguum/TobqMTQl">Sympetrum ambiguum</a></i> (Rambur, 1842) – blue-faced meadowhawk</li> <li><i>Sympetrum anomalum</i> Needham, 1930</li> <li><i>Sympetrum arenicolor</i> Jödicke, 1994</li> <li><i>Sympetrum baccha</i> (Selys, 1884)</li> <li><i>Sympetrum chaconi</i> De Marmels, 1994</li> <li><i>Sympetrum commixtum</i> (Selys, 1884)</li> <li><i>Sympetrum cordulegaster</i> (Selys, 1883)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_corruptum/koRIuX70">Sympetrum corruptum</a></i> (Hagen, 1861) – variegated meadowhawk</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_costiferum/k8Brswle">Sympetrum costiferum</a></i> (Hagen, 1861) – saffron-winged meadowhawk</li> <li><i>Sympetrum croceolum</i> (Selys, 1883)</li> <li><i>Sympetrum daliensis</i> Zhu, 1999</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_danae/kXtnRbDL">Sympetrum danae</a></i> (Sulzer, 1776) – black darter, black meadowhawk</li> <li><i>Sympetrum darwinianum</i> Selys, 1883</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_depressiusculum/P2W8qvj8">Sympetrum depressiusculum</a></i> (Selys, 1841) – spotted darter</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_dilatatum/CLjQC79K">Sympetrum dilatatum</a></i> (Calvert, 1892) – St. Helena darter</li> <li><i>Sympetrum durum</i> Bartenev, 1916</li> <li><i>Sympetrum eroticum</i> (Selys, 1883)</li> <li><i>Sympetrum evanescens</i> De Marmels, 1992</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_flaveolum/mTnFl5bD">Sympetrum flaveolum</a></i> (Linnaeus, 1758) – yellow-winged darter</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_fonscolombii/gTGGXzmX">Sympetrum fonscolombii</a></i> (Selys, 1840) – red-veined darter, nomad</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_frequens/pr2NgBtr">Sympetrum frequens</a></i> (Selys, 1883)</li> <li><i>Sympetrum gilvum</i> (Selys, 1884)</li> <li><i>Sympetrum gracile</i> Oguma, 1915</li> <li><i>Sympetrum haematoneura</i> Fraser, 1924</li> <li><i>Sympetrum haritonovi</i> Borisov, 1983 – dwarf darter</li> <li><i>Sympetrum himalayanum</i> Navás, 1934</li> <li><i>Sympetrum hypomelas</i> (Selys, 1884)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_illotum/XlCrEcwA">Sympetrum illotum</a></i> (Hagen, 1861) – cardinal meadowhawk</li> <li><i>Sympetrum imitans</i> (Selys, 1886)</li> <li><i>Sympetrum infuscatum</i> (Selys, 1883)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_internum/UszthSTu">Sympetrum internum</a></i> Montgomery, 1943 – cherry-faced meadowhawk</li> <li><i>Sympetrum kunckeli</i> (Selys, 1884)</li> <li><i>Sympetrum maculatum</i> Oguma, 1922</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_madidum/Qk1ja3Tg">Sympetrum madidum</a></i> (Hagen, 1861) – red-veined meadowhawk</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_meridionale/6yuuDT6K">Sympetrum meridionale</a></i> (Selys, 1841) – southern darter</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_nigrifemur/of1pD8kb">Sympetrum nigrifemur</a></i> (Selys, 1884) – island darter</li> <li><i>Sympetrum nigrocreatum</i> Calvert, 1920 – Talamanca meadowhawk</li> <li><i>Sympetrum nomurai</i> Asahina, 1997</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_obtrusum/4I5Hfo3R">Sympetrum obtrusum</a></i> (Hagen, 1861) – white-faced meadowhawk</li> <li><i>Sympetrum orientale</i> (Selys, 1883)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_pallipes/QJL2bbkQ">Sympetrum pallipes</a></i> (Hagen, 1874) – striped meadowhawk</li> <li><i>Sympetrum paramo</i> De Marmels, 2001</li> <li><i>Sympetrum parvulum</i> (Bartenev, 1912)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_pedemontanum/xaGLn0v1">Sympetrum pedemontanum</a></i> (Müller, 1766) – banded darter</li> <li><i>Sympetrum risi</i> Bartenev, 1914</li> <li><i>Sympetrum roraimae</i> De Marmels, 1988</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_rubicundulum/IXj3fCAb">Sympetrum rubicundulum</a></i> (Say, 1840) – ruby meadowhawk</li> <li><i>Sympetrum ruptum</i> Needham, 1930</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_sanguineum/T4DHKx0L">Sympetrum sanguineum</a></i> (Müller, 1764) – ruddy darter</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_semicinctum/e2zADNLD">Sympetrum semicinctum</a></i> (Say, 1840) – band-winged meadowhawk</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_signiferum/NACydmnQ">Sympetrum signiferum</a></i> Cannings & Garrison, 1991</li> <li><i>Sympetrum sinaiticum</i> Dumont, 1977 – desert darter</li> <li><i>Sympetrum speciosum</i> Oguma, 1915</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_striolatum/j47yoTJM">Sympetrum striolatum</a></i> (Charpentier, 1840) – common darter</li> <li><i>Sympetrum tibiale</i> (Ris, 1897)</li> <li><i>Sympetrum uniforme</i> (Selys, 1883)</li> <li><i>Sympetrum verum</i> Bartenev, 1916</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_vicinum/VECn8YUk">Sympetrum vicinum</a></i> (Hagen, 1861) – yellow-legged meadowhawk, autumn meadowhawk</li> <li><i>Sympetrum villosum</i> Ris, 1911</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sympetrum_vulgatum/QRxjycyW">Sympetrum vulgatum</a></i> (Linnaeus, 1758) – vagrant darter, moustached darter</li> <li><i>Sympetrum xiaoi</i> Han & Zhu, 1997</li></ul>