# Ruddy darter > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ruddy_darter > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ruddy_darter.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddy_darter > Source revision: 1315281190 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Species of dragonfly}} {{Speciesbox | image = Sympetrum sanguineum LC0316.jpg | image_caption = Male | image2 = Sympetrum sanguineum qtl4.jpg | image2_caption = Female | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = {{cite iucn| author=Clausnitzer, V. | year=2020 |title= ''Sympetrum sanguineum'' |article-number= e.T158691A140601918 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T158691A140601918.en|access-date=27 May 2024}} | genus = Sympetrum | species = sanguineum | authority = ([Müller](/source/Otto_Friedrich_M%C3%BCller), 1764) }} The '''ruddy darter''' ('''''Sympetrum sanguineum''''') is a species of [dragonfly](/source/dragonfly) of the family [Libellulidae](/source/Libellulidae). ==Distribution== The ruddy darter is to be found in [temperate](/source/temperate) regions throughout Europe[https://fauna-eu.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/e9c41956-c25b-44a4-9639-534216bec8ed Fauna Europaea] as far east as [Siberia](/source/Siberia) and as far south as the northern [Sahara](/source/Sahara). Its [conservation status](/source/conservation_status) is regarded as secure, and indeed numbers seem to be increasing in some locations such as central [England](/source/England); it is also spreading north at its northern limit in northeastern England.{{cite journal |last1=Eales |first1=Harry T. |title=Dragonflies and damselflies of Northumberland and Durham |journal=Northumbrian Naturalist |date=2016 |volume=81 |pages=54-55}} It is present in the following countries: Albania; Algeria; Armenia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Moldova; Monaco; Montenegro; Morocco; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russian Federation; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Tajikistan; Tunisia; Turkmenistan; Ukraine; United Kingdom; Uzbekistan. ==Habitat== This species tends to prefer quiet bodies of water that feature semi-aquatic vegetation such as [rushes](/source/Juncaceae) and [reeds](/source/Phragmites). ==Description== thumb|240px|left|Male, dorsal view The ruddy darter can reach a body length of {{convert|34|-|36|mm}}[https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/species/ruddy-darter BDS] - [British Dragonfly Society](/source/British_Dragonfly_Society) and attains a wingspan of up to {{cvt|6|cm}}. These dragonflies are smaller than the [common darter](/source/common_darter). They have black legs and the wings show a brown [pterostigma](/source/pterostigma) and an orange colour at the base of the wings. Two evident black marks are located on segments S8 and S9 of the abdomen. The head, [thorax](/source/thorax) and [abdomen](/source/abdomen) of the mature male are vivid red, while the female is slightly smaller, and is a golden-yellow colour with black markings. The blood-red colour of the males develop with maturity, together with a red frons and a red-brown thorax. The abdomen widens for the final third of its length and shows a marked pinched section where it joins the thorax. The all-black legs of the ruddy darter distinguish it from the otherwise very similar [common darter](/source/common_darter) (''Sympetrum striolatum'') and [vagrant darter](/source/vagrant_darter) (''Sympetrum vulgatum''), both of which show yellow stripes on their legs. The [spotted darter](/source/Sympetrum_depressiusculum) (''Sympetrum depressiusculum'') with all-black legs has noticeably more clubbed abdomen and brighter pterostigmata. ==Life cycle== The ruddy darter can be found between the months of June and November. [Mating](/source/Mating) takes place on the wing, with the coupled pair performing a dipping flight over the water. The female jettisons her fertilised [eggs](/source/roe) at the water surface by alternating movements of the abdomen. The male may hover nearby during this period and protect the female by driving off any approaching males. The [larva](/source/larva)e spend the year beneath the water surface before emerging and [pupa](/source/pupa)ting into adults. ==Gallery== Sympetrum sanguineum qtl10.jpg|Mating pair Sympetrum sanguineum - jettisoning eggs.ogv|thumbtime=72|Jettisoning eggs Ruddy darter dragonfly (Sympetrum sanguineum) newly-emerged male.jpg|Newly emerged male Ruddy darter dragonfly (Sympetrum sanguineum) almost adult male wings high.jpg|Almost adult male Ruddy darter dragonfly (Sympetrum sanguineum) adult male head.jpg|Adult male File:Blutrote Heidelibelle (Sympetrum sanguineum) -20230916-RM-123712.jpg | Adult male, head-on view File:Sympetrum sanguineum almost adult Female.JPG|Almost adult female ==References== {{Wikispecies}} {{Commons category}} {{Reflist}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q201023}} Category:Libellulidae Category:Odonata of Africa Category:Odonata of Asia Category:Dragonflies of Europe Category:Insects described in 1764 Category:Taxa named by Otto Friedrich Müller Category:Articles containing video clips {{Libellulidae-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ruddy darter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddy_darter) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddy_darter?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.