Common darter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Common darter
Male
Female
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification

The common darter (Sympetrum striolatum) is a type of dragonfly. It belongs to the family called Libellulidae. These dragonflies are originally from Eurasia, which includes Europe and Asia.

It's one of the most common dragonflies you can find in Europe. Common darters live near many different kinds of water. They especially like to breed in still water, like ponds and lakes. In warmer parts of the world, you can see adult common darters flying around all year long.

What They Look Like

It can be a bit tricky to tell different Sympetrum dragonflies apart. Many types of Sympetrum live in the same areas.

Young common darters, and females, have a light yellow body. As males get older, their bodies turn red. Older females become a dark chocolate brown. Sometimes, the bottom part of an older female's body can even turn blue.

As these dragonflies age, their wings also get a brownish tint. A special way to identify them is by their legs. They always have a cream or yellow stripe on a black background. This stripe is a key feature for spotting a common darter! The small, colored spot on their wings, called the pterostigma, can be red, blue, light blue, or brown in females.

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  An immature male common darter.

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  A male with a yellow body and brown pterostigma.

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  A female with a yellow body and blue pterostigma.

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  A close-up of a female common darter's head.

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  A mature female with a red body.

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  A mature female with a brown body.

How They Behave

In southern Europe, you can see adult common darters flying all year. But in cooler northern areas, they are usually seen from June to November.

These small dragonflies live in many places. You can find them near lakes, ponds, canals, and slow-moving rivers. They are ambush predators. This means they wait quietly on a good spot, like a leaf or a fence gate. When another insect flies by, they quickly fly out to catch it.

Common darters are very protective of their breeding areas near water. They will often try to chase away much larger dragonflies, like southern hawkers. Because they often return to the same sunny spot, they are one of the easiest dragonflies to photograph.

Away from water, in good hunting areas, they are not territorial. Large groups of them can gather. Sometimes, hundreds of common darters can be seen in one field. You might even see lines of them resting along the tops of field gates.

When it's time to lay eggs, the male holds the female. They fly together over the water. The male swings the female down and forward. At the lowest point of their swing, the female releases some eggs. The eggs then fall onto the water below.

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  A common darter in flight.

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  Two common darters flying together.

• Common darter dragonflies (Sympetrum striolatum) mating blue abdomen and blue pterostigma.JPG

  Common darters mating (female has a blue body and blue pterostigma).

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  Common darters mating (female has a blue body and red pterostigma).

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  Common darters mating (female has a pale blue pterostigma).

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  Two pairs of common darters laying eggs.

Conservation Status

The common darter is one of the most common dragonflies in Europe. There is no sign that their numbers are decreasing. This means they are not currently considered endangered.

Highland Darter

There used to be a type of dragonfly called the highland darter. It was thought to be a separate species, Sympetrum nigrescens. These dragonflies are found in Ireland, Scotland, and Norway. Scientists now think the highland darter might just be a subspecies of the common darter. This means it's a slightly different version of the same species.