Red-veined Darter Dragonfly Sympetrum fonscolombii

Red-veined Darter Dragonfly male
Red-veined Darter Dragonfly male
Red-veined Darter Dragonfly male
The Red-veined Darter Dragonfly is common in southern Europe but until recently was only an occasional migrant to the UK. It has bred in the UK in recent years. The adult male is pillar-box red. Distinguishing features in addition to the red-veins in the wings are the bi-coloured eye, red on top and blue below, amber at the wing base (like a "sweat mark under the arm"), the white diagonal bar on the thorax and the yellow line on the black legs.
Red-veined Darter Dragonfly male
Red top and blue lower part of eye; yellow leg lines.
Red-veined Darter Dragonfly male
Red-veined Darter Dragonfly male
Red veins, plain red abdomen with a couple of black dots on the topside at the rear. (Within its range, the Ruddy Darter has a clubbed "tail" and the Scarlet Darter has a wide, flattened body.)
Red-veined Darter Dragonfly female
Red-veined Darter Dragonfly female
Red-veined Darter Dragonfly female
The female Red-veined Darter is a yellow ochre colour. She also has two-coloured eyes, a little more brown on top and blue-grey below, the yellow leg line and the black dots on the rear abdomen. The adult has a double black line along the abdomen filled with cream/yellow. Pterostigma are pale yellow edged with black.
Red-veined Darter Dragonfly newly-emerged
Red-veined Darter Dragonfly new
The newly-emerged sub-adult is yellow with only a single, thin, black line on the side of the abdomen.
Red-veined Darter Dragonfly teneral male
The teneral male above is starting to turn red.
Red-veined Darter Dragonfly exuvia
Red-veined Darter Dragonfly exuvia
The Red-veined Darter's exuvia (nymph/larva exoskeleton) has a sharp point like a thorn on each side of the last two segments
Love is a red rose
The next page shows Red-veined Darters coupled and egg-laying