13/60

Sympetrum fonscolombii (Red-veined Darter / Kırmızdamarlı Yusufcuk)

Sympetrum fonscolombii (Red-veined Darter / Kırmızdamarlı Yusufcuk)


Sympetrum fonscolombii (Red-veined Darter / Kırmızdamarlı Yusufcuk) [Freshly emerged Female/Genç Dişi] from Bornova, İzmir - 25.06.2009.

The male's gaudy appearance and active behaviour is quite different from its more restful and subdued congeners. A strong migrant, erratic influxes are seen in northern Europe in early summer, when other Sympetrum are only beginning to emerge.

The wingtips of this species have small yellow-coloured pterostigma, edged with black, which distinguish it from the Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum). S. fonscolombii belongs to the family Libellulidae, whose members are strong fliers often perching on exposed reeds from where they dart out to snatch prey. Adult red-veined darters are red (males) or yellow (females), showing beautiful saturated colours. Young animals may be greenish, with black stripes on the thorax and abdomen, while the definitive colours are not fully developed. Total body length is 33-40mm and the Abdomen length 22-29mm, Often confused with the Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) because of the blue underside to eyes, yellow hindwing base, red coloration and active behaviour. However, that species is much broader-bodied and has no black on the face or legs. The female can be deceptively close to that of the Yellow-winged Darter (S. flaveolum), but the eye colour and vulvar scale –(a structure below 8th abdomen segment in females, along which the eggs leave the body, present in those species that do not oviposit into plant tissue)- are distinctive. Vulvar scale appressed, with broad U-shaped incision. The extent of hindwing patch is variable. Legs rarely all-black.

It ranges widely in warm parts of Africa and Asia. Resident and often common in the Mediterranean, but rare and irregular in the north. This strong migrant has been observed at sea and is the only libellulid on the Azores (Portuguese islands chain in the Atlantic Ocean). It prefers the warm, still waters, often open, bare and shallow, such as quarry lakes, sand pits, newly created ponds and coastal lagoons. Its life cycle is unlike other Sympetrum species, because the eggs develop rapidly after being laid, without a winter rest. It is observed throughout the year in the Mediterranean, though scarce from December to February.

References: 1. Chinery, M. (1986). Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe, Collins, Glasgow, 320 pp. 2. Dijkstra K.-D. (2006). Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe including Western Turkey and noth-Western Africa. British Wildlife Publishing, Dorset, UK. 320 pp. 3. Beaton, G. (2007). Dragonflies and Damselflies of Georgia and the Soustheast. University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia, 355 pp.