Band-winged meadowhawk

Band-winged meadowhawk
Band-winged meadowhawk
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Suborder: Anisoptera
Family: Libellulidae
Genus: Sympetrum
Species: S. semicinctum
Binomial name
Sympetrum semicinctum
(Say, 1839)


The band-winged meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum) is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum belonging to the family Libellulidae.

Sympetrum semicinctum is closely related to, and may not be a distinct species from, the western meadowhawk (Sympetrum occidentale). Other subspecies or geographical variants are S. californicum and S. fasciatum.

Synonyms and subspecies

Description

Sympetrum semicinctum, mating pair

Sympetrum semicinctum can reach a length of 28–36 millimetres (1.1–1.4 in), with a wingspan of 45–55 millimetres (1.8–2.2 in). The male has a bright red abdomen with black markings on the lower sides and on the top of the segments 8 and 9, creating a U like pattern. The thorax is brownish red and the sides show three irregular black stripes. Face and eyes are dark red. The legs are black. The hind wings have a rusty patch at the base, covering one-third of the wings, while the front wings are almost completely transparent. The female is mainly greenish-yellowish, with red over green on eyes and extended blackish markings on the abdomen. The flight period extends from April to mid October, but this dragonfly is more common in late summer.

Distribution

This species is native to Canada and Continental United States, from coast to coast.


Habitat

This dragonfly can be found perched on vegetation along the edges of meadows, in weedy ponds, marshes and lakes, also in the hills or mountains.

References


External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, June 26, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.