Nomad
Sympetrum fonscolombii
This species is a powerful migrant, capable of flying thousands of kilometers across seas and deserts to colonize temporary water sources.
- Scientific name
- Sympetrum fonscolombii
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Odonata › Libellulidae › Sympetrum
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Shallow, warm, standing waters such as ponds, marshes, paddy fields, and temporary pools.
- Diet
- Carnivorous; preys on small flying insects like mosquitoes, midges, and flies.
- Range
- Southern Europe, Africa, Middle East, Central Asia
- Size
- Wingspan of 55-65 mm, body length of 38-40 mm.
- Lifespan
- 1 to 2 months as a flying adult; up to 1 year including the larval stage.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Water pollution, wetland drainage, and severe droughts exacerbated by climate change.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless to humans. They do not possess a sting, and their weak jaws cannot pierce human skin. You can safely observe them from any distance. If one lands on you, remain still and enjoy the close encounter.
The red-veined darter or nomad ( Sympetrum fonscolombii ) is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum . It is a widespread and common species found from the south to the north of Africa, southern Europe and eastwards to the Middle East, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and the Indian Ocean Islands. It is a common species in southern Europe and from the 1990s onwards has increasingly been found in northwest Europe, including Britain and Ireland. Its name is sometimes...
Photo: Thomas Bresson, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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