Island Darter

Sympetrum nigrifemur · Order: Odonata · Family: Libellulidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Island Darter
Photo: Juan Emilio from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, España, CC BY-SA 2.0

The island darter (Sympetrum nigrifemur) lives on the Canary Islands and Madeira and prefers rivers, intermittent rivers, marshes and ponds. It may be a subspecies of the common darter, Sympetrum striolatum, and is sometimes confused with that species.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Sympetrum nigrifemur may be a subspecies of the common darter, Sympetrum striolatum.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Island Darter photo 2
Photo: Charlie Barber, CC BY
Island Darter photo 3
Photo: Vítor Jorge, CC BY
Island Darter photo 4
Photo: Vítor Jorge, CC BY
Island Darter photo 5
Photo: Samuel Paitreault, CC BY

Questions people ask

Where is the island darter found?

It is native to the Canary Islands and Madeira.

Source: Wikipedia

What other dragonfly might the island darter be confused with?

It may be a subspecies of the common darter, Sympetrum striolatum, and can be mistaken for it.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Libellulidae)

Blue DasherBlue DasherPachydiplax longipennisEastern PondhawkEastern PondhawkErythemis simplicicollisCommon WhitetailCommon WhitetailPlathemis lydiaWidow SkimmerWidow SkimmerLibellula luctuosaAutumn MeadowhawkAutumn MeadowhawkSympetrum vicinumCommon DarterCommon DarterSympetrum striolatum

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympetrum_nigrifemur

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

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