The saffron-winged meadowhawk (''Sympetrum costiferum'') is a
dragonfly
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...
of the genus ''
Sympetrum''. It is found across northern and central United States and most of Canada, including a southern portion of the Northwest Territories.
Its abdomen is yellowish-brown, turning pale red at maturity in both sexes. Juveniles and females have gold (saffron) coloured wing stripes.
[Dunkle, S.W., Dragonflies through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America. New York:Oxford University Press, 2000.] Veins of males and females are reddish or orange.
[Mead, Kurt. Dragonflies of the North Woods. Second edition. Duluth, MN:Kollath+Stensaas, 2009.] The sides of the abdomen are marked with black triangles. Some females have amber in basal areas of their wings. Legs are striped in black and yellow or red. Size: .
[ This species overlaps with and is difficult to distinguish from both the ruby and white-faced meadowhawks.][
]
Similar species
*'' Sympetrum obtrusum'' – white-faced meadowhawk
*'' Sympetrum rubicundulum'' – ruby meadowhawk
*'' Sympetrum internum'' – cherry-faced meadowhawk
References
External links
Saffron-winged Meadowhawk
Nature Inquiries
Saffron-winged Meadowhawk
BugGuide
Libellulidae
Insects described in 1861
{{dragonfly-stub