The Banded Darter is a small red dragonfly with a dark brown band across each wing, just in from the tip. It lives across Europe and Asia, east to Korea and Japan, and isn't found in the wild in the United States.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A small dragonfly about 1.2–1.6 in (30–41 mm) long. All four wings carry a brown band near the tip; the hindwing band is a little wider. Band width varies a lot between individuals and regions.
- Seasonal forms
- Young adults are yellowish. Mature males turn red or brownish red, while females stay yellowish to deep orange.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- wet meadows
- marshes
- rice paddies
- grasslands
- Range
- Widespread across Europe and Asia. Not native to North America and not established in the US.
- Preferred conditions
- Prefers open places with low plants and shallow water that is still or slow-moving, where females can lay eggs.
Behavior
- Diet
- Adults catch small insects in flight. eat small pond life such as mosquito larvae, mayfly larvae, and tadpoles.
- Activity
- In Europe, adults fly from mid-July to about the end of October.
- Social life
- Pairs fly and the female dips her abdomen into shallow water to drop eggs while the male guards.
- Overwintering
- Eggs overwinter and hatch the following year; adults emerge in summer.
Life cycle
- Larva
- Larvae grow in shallow water that is still or flows only gently.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
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