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New Record of Dragonfly Species to Hong Kong: Sympetrum fonscolombii (Selys, 1840)

A new record of dragonfly species to Hong Kong, Sympetrum fonscolombii (Red-veined Darter), was reported by members of the public in October 2017. A male of this species was observed by Moody Au in the northwestern New Territories in early October this year. A few days later, a female S. fonscolombii was also observed in the southern part of Hong Kong by Denis Wong, Ernest Chiu, Yuet Yin Ling and Ken Cheng. A male S. fonscolombii was then observed by the Dragonfly Working Group of AFCD at the same site where the female was found in late October. These three observations, with the relevant photographs, were confirmed by the Working Group to be the first male and female records of S. fonscolombii in Hong Kong.

Male Sympetrum fonscolombii has brownish red synthorax with two whitish side-stripes. Its abdomen is also red with characteristic black droplet markings on the dorsum of segments 8-9. Males have well-defined golden spot on the base of hind wings and basally red wing veins. Legs are black with narrow yellow stripes. Females resemble males but are overall ochreous.

Sympetrum species are mostly Holarctic although a few range into tropical America, Africa and Asia. Sympetrum fonscolombii has a wide distribution, including Africa, China (including Taiwan), southern Europe, India, Japan and Middle East. Given that only three sighting records of the species have been made and the Holarctic nature of Sympetrum species, the status of S. fonscolombii is considered vagrant in Hong Kong at this moment, but its recent observations have lifted the total number of dragonfly species recorded in Hong Kong to 124.