Scarlet dragonfly

Crocothemis erythraea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Suborder: Epiprocta
Infraorder: Anisoptera
Family: Libellulidae
Genus: Crocothemis
Species: C. erythraea
Binomial name
Crocothemis erythraea
(Brullé, 1832)

Crocothemis erythraea is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Its common names include broad scarlet, common scarlet-darter, scarlet darter and scarlet dragonfly.[1]

Description

The adult male scarlet dragonfly has a bright scarlet red, widened abdomen, with small amber patches at the bases of the hindwings. Females and immatures are yellow-brown and have a conspicuous pale stripe along the top of the thorax.[2]

Status and distribution

The scarlet dragonfly is a common species in southern Europe and throughout Africa. It also occurs across western Asia as far as southern China.[1] It is a very rare vagrant in Britain. Its first record in the country was at Hayle Kimbro Pool, The Lizard, Cornwall, on 7 August 1995. Since then there have been a few further records at scattered locations throughout Britain.[3]

Habitat

A wide range of both running and standing waters, except those that are shaded. Adults may be found some distance from water in habitats ranging from desert to open woodland; absent from dense forest.[1][4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 V. Clausnitzer (2013). "Crocothemis erythraea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "Scarlet Darter". British Dragonfly Society. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  3. ↑ Jones, S. P. (1996). The first British record of the Scarlet Dragonfly Crocothemis erythraea (Brullé). Journal of the British Dragonfly Society Vol. 12 No. 1 pp. 11-12
  4. ↑ Dijkstra, K.-D.B.; Clausnitzer, V. (2014). The dragonflies and damselflies of eastern Africa. Tervuren: Royal Museum for Central Africa. ISBN 978-94-916-1506-1.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, February 10, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.