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Sympetrum internum
Cherry-Faced Meadowhawk
Family: Libellulidae
Species account author: Robert Cannings.
Extracted from Introducing the Dragonflies of British Columbia and the Yukon (2002)

Photograph

© George Doerksen     (Photo ID #1071)

Map

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Distribution of Sympetrum internum in British Columbia.
(Click on the map to view a larger version.)
Source: (for the static map) RBCM and BCCDC 2004 ©

Species Information


Description

Similar to the White-faced Meadowhawk, except for the red face and wing veins. Immatures have a yellowish face and yellow-brown body, both becoming red with maturity. The thorax sides are unmarked and the legs are black. The abdomen has black saw-toothed stripes on the sides. Hamule shown in figure; vulvar lamina shown in figure. Length: ♂ ♀ 34 mm.


Flight Period

B.C., mid June to mid October; Yukon, late June to early September.

Genus Description


Small to medium-sized dragonflies that are mostly yellow when young and mostly red when mature; one common species is black. Females are usually yellow or tan, but can be red like males. You can watch most species easily at close range, because the adults are not powerful flyers and perch often. They are frequently abundant around ponds and lakes and adjacent meadows, especially in the late summer and fall. Many species will perch on the ground; Sympetrum means “with (or on) the rocks”. Species can be difficult to distinguish. Look for the colour of the face, legs and wing veins; the patterns on the sides of the thorax and abdomen; and the details of the genitalia (the male’s hamules and the female’s vulvar lamina).

Biology

Family Description

The largest dragonfly family in our region – 24 species in eight genera live here and one other species in another genus is a rare visitor. They come in many sizes and colours, many with bold wing markings or coloured veins. Their eyes meet broadly on top of the head. The anal loop in the hindwing is distinctive: foot-shaped with a long toe. Most common around ponds, marshy lakeshores and sluggish streams, the adults dart about and most species spend a lot of time perched horizontally in the sun. Females lay eggs alone or in the company of guarding males. Most dip the tip of their abdomen into the water when releasing the eggs, but some will tap or splash the eggs into wet mud or moss, or simply flick them into a dry pond basin. Some larvae, like those of the emeralds, move sluggishly or squat on the bottom mud; others climb in vegetation.
Field Notes

Common in slow streams, grassland ponds, cattail marshes and peatland pools. Tolerates many conditions, including cattle-trodden pools and acid and alkaline waters. Sometimes abundant, especially around grassland ponds. At the northern limit of its range in the dry southern valleys of the Yukon, it lives mainly in sedge marshes. Pairs lay eggs onto moist ground while in tandem, often gathering in large congregations.

Distribution


Transition. Widespread throughout B.C. (but not recorded on Vancouver Island) and the southern valleys of the Yukon.

Status Information

Origin StatusProvincial StatusBC List
(Red Blue List)
COSEWIC
NativeS5YellowNot Listed



BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.