Common darter
| Common darter | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Common darter ( Sympetrum vulgatum ), male |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Sympetrum vulgatum | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The common darter ( Sympetrum vulgatum ) is a type of dragonfly from the family of the sail dragonflies (Libellulidae). These are a family of the dragonflies (Anisoptera). It is a medium-sized dragonfly with a wingspan of 5 to a maximum of 6.5 centimeters.
features
_3.jpg)
The head, the chest section ( thorax ) and the abdomen ( abdomen ) of the animals are colored red in the male, and brownish-yellow-red with black markings in the female. A very similar species is the great darter , whose thorax also has two lighter side stripes. Furthermore, the head bears a black mark on the forehead, which ends at the eyes of the great darter, while it extends a little way down the eyes of the common darter. As a third distinguishing feature, the males of the common darter have a significantly wider abdomen towards the end. The legs are black and have a yellow color on the upper side, which is not found in the similar blood-red darter ( Sympetrum sanguineum ).
Newly hatched darter, the cuticle of which has not yet fully hardened, are light brown, but may already be able to fly.
A subspecies of the common darter from northern Spain is described as Sympetrum vulgatum ibericum , the overall color of which is much lighter.
Way of life
The common darter can be found in all kinds of stagnant bodies of water from July to November, including small bodies of water and garden ponds.
The males often sit a little away from the water. The mating usually takes place sitting (see picture) near the shore.
The animals can also fly. The eggs are always laid in flight, with the male holding the female by the head (see picture). The females flying behind then wipe off their eggs by rocking their abdomen on the surface of the water.
Larval development
The larvae hatch in the year after oviposition. They prefer the area on the bottom of the water or between aquatic plants and are often covered by a lot of substrate. It takes a year to develop, after which the adult dragonflies appear.
literature
- Heiko Bellmann : Observe dragonflies - determine . Naturbuch Verlag, Augsburg 1993, ISBN 3-894-40107-9
- Gerhard Jurzitza: The Kosmos dragonfly guide . Franckh-Kosmos Verlags GmbH & Co., Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-440-08402-7
- Klaus Sternberg, Rainer Buchwald: Dragonflies in Baden-Württemberg. Volume 1: Dragonflies . Eugen Ulmer Verlag, 1999, ISBN 3-800-13508-6
- Klaus Sternberg, Rainer Buchwald: Dragonflies in Baden-Württemberg. Volume 2: Dragonflies . Eugen Ulmer Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3-800-13514-0
- Günther Peters: Europe's noble dragonflies . Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei, Volume 585.Wittenberg 1987, ISBN 3-740-30050-7
