''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized

skimmer Skimmer may refer to: Animals *Skimmer (bird), a common name for birds in the genus ''Rynchops'' *Skimmer (dragonfly), a common name for dragonflies in the family Libellulidae *Water strider or skimmer, a common name for insects in the family Ge ...

dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

zone of the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

; no ''Sympetrum'' species is native to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Most North American darters fly in late summer and autumn, breeding in

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...

s and foraging over

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifi ...

s. 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 ('' Sympetrum danae''). The

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

includes the following species: *'' Sympetrum ambiguum'' – blue-faced meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum anomalum'' *''

Sympetrum arenicolor ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympet ...

'' *''

Sympetrum baccha ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympet ...

'' *''

Sympetrum chaconi ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympet ...

'' *'' Sympetrum commixtum'' *'' Sympetrum cordulegaster'' *'' Sympetrum corruptum'' – variegated meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum costiferum'' – saffron-winged meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum croceolum'' *'' Sympetrum daliensis'' *'' Sympetrum danae'' – black darter, black meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum darwinianum'' *''

Sympetrum depressiusculum ''Sympetrum depressiusculum'', or, the spotted darter, is a dragonfly species from the family Libellulidae, distributed across temperate parts of Eurasia. Description Adults reach 29 to 34 mm in body length, of which 20–24 mm is ab ...

'' – spotted darter *'' Sympetrum dilatatum'' – St. Helena darter *''

Sympetrum durum ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympet ...

'' *'' Sympetrum eroticum'' *''

Sympetrum evanescens ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *'' Sympetrum flaveolum'' – yellow-winged darter *'' Sympetrum fonscolombii'' – red-veined darter, nomad *'' Sympetrum frequens'' *'' Sympetrum gilvum'' *''

Sympetrum gracile ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *''

Sympetrum haematoneura ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympet ...

'' *'' Sympetrum haritonovi'' – dwarf darter *''

Sympetrum himalayanum ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *'' Sympetrum hypomelas'' *''

Sympetrum illotum ''Sympetrum illotum'', the cardinal meadowhawk, is a species of skimmer in the dragonfly family Libellulidae. It is found in the Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiya ...

'' – cardinal meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum imitans'' *'' Sympetrum infuscatum'' *'' Sympetrum internum'' – cherry-faced meadowhawk *''

Sympetrum kunckeli ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *'' Sympetrum maculatum'' *''

Sympetrum madidum ''Sympetrum madidum'', the red-veined meadowhawk, is a species of dragonfly in the family (biology), family Libellulidae. Identification Adult The red-veined meadowhawk is a medium-sized dragonfly, but it is large for its genus, ''Sympetru ...

'' – red-veined meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum meridionale'' – southern darter *''

Sympetrum nigrifemur The Island Darter (''Sympetrum nigrifemur'') is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is endemic to the Canary Islands and to Madeira. Its natural habitats are rivers, intermittent rivers, intermittent freshwater marshes, and pon ...

'' – island darter *''

Sympetrum nigrocreatum ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' – Talamanca meadowhawk *''

Sympetrum nomurai ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *'' Sympetrum obtrusum'' – white-faced meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum orientale'' *'' Sympetrum pallipes'' – striped meadowhawk *''

Sympetrum paramo ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *''

Sympetrum parvulum ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Symp ...

'' *''

Sympetrum pedemontanum The banded darter (''Sympetrum pedemontanum'') is a European species of dragonfly of the family Libellulidae. Description Males of the banded darter, like most members of the genus, have a red abdomen. The species' primary distinguishing feature ...

'' – banded darter *'' Sympetrum risi'' *''

Sympetrum roraimae ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *''

Sympetrum rubicundulum The ruby meadowhawk (''Sympetrum rubicundulum'') is a species of dragonfly of the family Libellulidae. It is found in northern United States and southern Ontario, Canada. Adult males are identifiable by a distinctive orange to brown face and red ...

'' – ruby meadowhawk *''

Sympetrum ruptum ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *'' Sympetrum sanguineum'' – ruddy darter *''

Sympetrum semicinctum The band-winged meadowhawk (''Sympetrum semicinctum'') is a dragonfly of the genus ''Sympetrum'' belonging to the family Libellulidae. Taxonomy ''Sympetrum semicinctum'' is closely related to, and may not be a distinct species from, the wester ...

'' – band-winged meadowhawk *''

Sympetrum signiferum ''Sympetrum signiferum'', known generally as the spot-winged meadowhawk or balsam, is a species of skimmer in the dragonfly family Libellulidae. It is found in Central America and North America. The IUCN conservation status of ''Sympetrum signi ...

'' *'' Sympetrum sinaiticum'' – desert darter *''

Sympetrum speciosum ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *'' Sympetrum striolatum'' – common darter *''

Sympetrum tibiale ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympet ...

'' *''

Sympetrum uniforme ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *''

Sympetrum verum ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

'' *''

Sympetrum vicinum ''Sympetrum vicinum'', the yellow-legged meadowhawk or autumn meadowhawk, is a member of the Libellulidae family. It grows to 26–35 mm long. Description Naiad This species has a small naiad, with a length of . It is mottled green and b ...

'' – yellow-legged meadowhawk, autumn meadowhawk *'' Sympetrum villosum'' *''

Sympetrum vulgatum The vagrant darter (''Sympetrum vulgatum'') is a European 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, w ...

'' – vagrant darter, moustached darter *''

Sympetrum xiaoi ''Sympetrum'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; no ''Sympetr ...

References

Libellulidae Anisoptera genera Taxa named by Edward Newman Animal migration {{dragonfly-stub