Scarlet arrival

The scarlet darter (Crocothemis erythraea) is a highly mobile and migratory species. The males have an exceptional, almost hypnotic red colour. Interestingly, some females also are red, a phenomenon quite common in dragonflies. Species where some female individuals mimic male colouration are known as androchromes, whereas the opposite, species where the females only have the female colour morph, are known as gynochromes.

The core distribution of the scarlet darter is southern Europe and Africa. But it has extended its range continuously in recent decades, and it can be found throughout Asia, as far east as China.

It was first recorded in the UK in 1995, and in Denmark in 2015 - and now the first record for Sweden is here!!

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On the 15th of July, a scarlet darter male was identified by Sven Johansson in the county of Skåne in southern Sweden, close to a pond called Flodahusdammen.

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Above from the left: Scarlet darter female (Photo: Charles J Sharp), scarlet darter male (Photo: Alvesgaspar) and a red scarlet darter female (Photo: Andreas Eichler)