Sympetrum meridionale
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Sympetrum meridionale, the southern darter, is a species of dragonfly belonging to the Skimmer family Libellulidae. The adults grow up to 35–40 millimetres (1.4–1.6 in) long. The wingspan reaches 52–60 millimetres (2.0–2.4 in).
The abdomen of adult males is orange-reddish, without black spots on segments. The sides of the thorax are yellowish-brown. The adult females are quite similar to males, but the background color is more yellow. The wings are hyaline, with yellow or pale brown pterostigma.
Their life cycle lasts two or three years. They can be encountered from May through mid October in the immediate vicinity of shallow, well vegetated still water, where the larvae develop. This species is present in most of southern Europe.
Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B. (2006). Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe. British Wildlife Publishing. ISBN 0-9531399-4-8. Henrik Steinmann - World Catalogue of Odonata (Volume II Anisoptera) [S. 477f], de Gruyter, 1997, ISBN 3-11-014934-6
Fauna Europaea Biolib Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Darter sighting in Cévennes National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 814th most-seen of the 996 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Darter in Cévennes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and October–June, the lowest months. Those are among Cévennes National Park's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 260 mm in October.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Darter sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Southern Darter sightings, Cévennes National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 40%), Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 20%) and Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary, about 20%).
Same genus: Sympetrum
The closest relatives of the Southern Darter that you can see in Cévennes National Park (genus Sympetrum, Meadowhawks) are Common Darter (about 10%), Nomad (about 10%) and Black Meadowhawk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Darter is recorded against all the insects logged in Cévennes National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
