The banded darter (''Sympetrum pedemontanum'') is a

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an species of

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 family

Libellulidae The skimmers or perchers and their relatives form the Libellulidae, the largest dragonfly family in the world. It is sometimes considered to contain the Corduliidae as the subfamily Corduliinae and the Macromiidae as the subfamily Macromiinae. Ev ...

Description

Males of the banded darter, like most members of the genus, have a red abdomen. The species' primary distinguishing feature however is the presence, in both sexes, of broad black bands across the outer section of each wing. It is similar in size to the black darter (''

Sympetrum danae ''Sympetrum danae'', the black darter or black meadowhawk is a dragonfly found in northern Europe, Asia, and North America. At about long, it is Britain's smallest resident dragonfly. It is a very active late summer insect typical of heathland ...

'') (35-40mm), sharing the broad hindwings and black legs.

Behaviour

The weak, low, fluttering flight is not unlike that of a black darter, but it perches frequently on the tips of rush stems rather than on the ground. It is a surprisingly inconspicuous species.

Status

This species is resident in continental Europe. Its main breeding range is south-eastern, especially at medium altitudes, although it appears to be spreading westwards.

Vagrancy to Britain

The banded darter has been recorded in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

just once, in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, in the ''Sympetrum'' immigration year of 1995 on 16–17 August.

References

*
Fauna Europaea
Libellulidae Dragonflies of Europe Insects described in 1776 {{Dragonfly-stub