About Crocothemis erythraea (Brullé, 1832)
Crocothemis erythraea, commonly called the scarlet dragonfly, reaches a total length of 33–44 millimetres (1.3–1.7 in). This species of dragonfly has a flattened, rather broad abdomen. Adult males have a bright scarlet red, widened abdomen, with small amber patches at the bases of the hindwings, and the veins along the leading edges of their wings are also red. Females and immature individuals are yellow-brown, and have a conspicuous pale stripe running along the top of the thorax. The scarlet dragonfly is a common species in southern Europe and across the whole of Africa. It also occurs throughout western Asia, reaching as far east as southern China. In Britain, it is only a very rare vagrant. The first recorded sighting of this species in Britain was at Hayle Kimbro Pool, The Lizard, Cornwall, on 7 August 1995, and a small number of additional sightings have been recorded at scattered locations across Britain since then. It can occupy a wide variety of habitats with both running and standing waters, and does not live in shaded waters. Adult scarlet dragonflies may be found some distance from water, in habitats ranging from desert to open woodland, and are absent from dense forest.
