Sympétrum commun
(Sympetrum vulgatum)

The Moustached Darter is a very common species in Northern Europe, but it gets progressively rarer further South. In fact, it's virtually absent from Iberia, Italy, the Balkans and Greece. In terms of its shape and size, Sympetrum vulgatum is virtually identical to its more widespread stable mate the Common Darter. The species' main distinguishing features are the male's deep red colour, the reddish hue on the side of the thorax (by contrast, the Common Darter has two yellow patches on the side of its thorax), and the black 'tear-drop' which runs down along the inside edge of the eye (and which is absent in S. striolatum).

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