Black Darter
(Sympetrum danae)

The Black Darter is a small dragonfly. It's a Central and Northern European species which only reaches as far South as the alpine regions of Northern Italy. With age the adult male Sympetrum danae becomes almost entirely black, although some lighter, dull-yellow markings may remain. Younger males and females have a bright yellow thorax and abdomen with extensive black markings dorsally and laterally. The species' main distinguishing features include its all-black legs, the black triangle dorsally on the thorax, and the female's vulvar scale, which sits at a 90-degree angle to the abdomen.

For an overview of the Black Darter's distribution in Europe, hover your mouse pointer over the map symbol .
With the authors' permission we have based this map on data published in Kalkman et al. (2010).

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