Bug FAQSouthern Darter
Sympetrum meridionale · Order: Odonata · Family: Libellulidae
Adult Southern Darters are about 35 to 40 mm long with a wingspan of roughly 52 to 60 mm. Males have an orange-reddish abdomen without black spots and clear wings with a yellowish pterostigma. They are found near shallow, vegetated still waters from May to mid-October across most of southern Europe, and their life cycle lasts two to three years.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Male Southern Darters show an orange-reddish abdomen lacking black segment spots. Their wings are clear with a yellow or light brown pterostigma.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults grow to about 35 to 40 mm in length. The wingspan ranges from roughly 52 to 60 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They live near shallow, well-vegetated still water where their larvae develop.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Their development takes two to three years. Adults are seen from May through mid-October near their breeding waters.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from May until mid-October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species occurs throughout most of southern Europe.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Libellulidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympetrum_meridionale
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.