# Broad scarlet (*Crocothemis erythraea*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/broad-scarlet  
Data as of: 2026-11-14

The broad scarlet (Crocothemis erythraea) is a species in the family Libellulidae, order Odonata. Recorded adults reach 4.5 cm in length. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Mozambique.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | 3.6 cm – 4.5 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | freshwater, riverine, wetland |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | 1 country |

## Recorded prey and predators

 Recorded predators: Wasp spider (*Argiope bruennichi*). Each pair is recorded by at least two datasets compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/, CC0 1.0).

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Insecta
- order: Odonata
- family: Libellulidae
- genus: Crocothemis
- species: *Crocothemis erythraea* (Brullé, 1832)

Synonyms: *Libellula coccinea*, *Libellula erythraea*, *Libellula ferruginata*, *Libellula ferruginea*, *Libellula inquinata*, *Libellula rubra*, *Libellula victoria*, *Orthetrum lorti*

## Countries on record

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

Mozambique

## Common questions

### How big is the broad scarlet?

An adult broad scarlet measures 3.6 cm – 4.5 cm long, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

### Where does the broad scarlet live?

Catalogue of Life checklists list the broad scarlet for 1 country: Mozambique. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.

### What kind of animal is the broad scarlet?

The broad scarlet (Crocothemis erythraea) belongs to the family Libellulidae in the order Odonata.

### What eats the broad scarlet?

Animals recorded preying on the broad scarlet include wasp spider. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI): interpreted data products](https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/), CC0 1.0, 0.11. Poelen, J.H., Simons, J.D. & Mungall, C.J. (2014) Global Biotic Interactions: an open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics 24: 148–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2014.08.005. Data: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22691479, with each record's original reference.
- [TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844), CC BY 4.0, 2.0. Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844

Cite as: Broad scarlet (Crocothemis erythraea). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/broad-scarlet