The scarlet skimmer, also called the ruddy marsh skimmer (*Crocothemis servilia*), is a medium-sized dragonfly in the family Libellulidae, native to east and southeast Asia and later introduced to Florida, Hawaii, and Jamaica, where it was first spotted near Miami in 1975. Males are strikingly blood-red all over — including the eyes, thorax, and abdomen, with a thin black stripe running down the back — while females are duller, with an olivaceous-brown body and a broader black dorsal stripe. Diurnal and territorial, males are often seen basking on sunlit vegetation near water and defending breeding areas, while both sexes are agile fliers that catch other insects on the wing. Like all dragonflies, it undergoes incomplete metamorphosis, with females laying eggs in or near ponds, ditches, marshes, and rice paddies, where the aquatic, predatory nymphs develop for months to years before emerging as adults. It's a widespread and adaptable species with no major conservation concerns, and it's considered a useful bioindicator of wetland health.
