Sympetrum infuscatum is a large East Asian , from the same group as North America's meadowhawks, with dark brown tips on all four wings. It lives in Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan and is not found in the United States. Unlike most of its red relatives, mature males get only a dark red abdomen, and females stay orange.
Appearance
- Appearance
- About 1.5–2 in (37–52 mm) long, one of the largest darters. Young adults are yellowish brown with three bold black stripes on each side of the thorax. Mature males get a dark red abdomen; females stay orange. The brown wing tips vary in size and can be almost absent in cold areas.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- rice paddies
- ponds
- irrigation ditches
- farmland edges
- Range
- Japan (Hokkaido to Kyushu), Korea, China, and Taiwan. It does not occur in North America.
- Preferred conditions
- Breeds in shallow, weedy ponds and rice fields in lowlands and low hills, often with woods nearby.
Behavior
- Activity
- Adults fly from late June to late November in Japan and from June to November in Korea.
- Overwintering
- Eggs spend the winter on the ground and hatch in spring when the spot floods.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- Pairs fly in tandem over dry grass or ripening rice, and the female flicks her eggs out in mid-air instead of laying them in water.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
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