| Canada darner | |
|---|---|
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| Male (top) and female (bottom) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Infraorder: | Anisoptera |
| Family: | Aeshnidae |
| Genus: | Aeshna |
| Species: | A. canadensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Aeshna canadensis Walker, 1908 | |
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| Range of Aeshna canadensis | |
Aeshna canadensis, the Canada darner, is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. It is common throughout southern Canada and the northern United States. [2] [3]
Adult Canada darners, similar to other members of the genus Aeshna , are relatively large, slender dragonflies, and are predominantly dark brown with paler blue or green markings. [4] [5] Adults are 64 to 73 mm in total length. [5] The thorax has two vertical stripes on each side, the front with a prominent notch and an extension at the top. [5] The abdomen has spots on most segments. [5] The pale markings are usually blue in males and range from yellow-green to blue in females. The eyes are bluish in males and yellowish or bluish in females. [5] The pale markings may turn gray at colder temperatures. [5]
The green-striped darner is very similar, but is distinguished by minor differences in the shape of the markings and in typically having green thorax stripes. [5] The lake darner is also similar but is larger and has a distinct dark stripe across the face. [5]
The Canada darner was first scientifically described in 1908 by Canadian entomologist Edmund Murton Walker, in the same publication as the first descriptions of black-tipped darner, shadow darner, subarctic darner, and variable darner, . [6]
Canada darners are found from Newfoundland and New Jersey in the east to Yukon in the west. [5] Populations extend further south down the Appalachian Mountains to West Virginia and south in mountain ranges to California and Montana. [5] [7] There is an isolated population in Nebraska. [5]
Canada darners spend most of their lives as an aquatic nymph. [7] Larvae are typically found in lakes and ponds, especially bog ponds and beaver ponds. [5] Breeding ponds typically have abundant emergent vegetation. [5] An Ontario study found that the species was restricted to ponds with a pH of no more than 6.2. [8] One study found that larvae may spend either one or two winters underwater before emerging. [7]
Adult males fly slowly along the shores of breeding ponds, sometimes dropping to the surface to search for females. [5] Mating occurs in shrubs nearby. [5] Females lay eggs at water level, usually in marshy vegetation away from shore. [5] Breeding adults are most active in sunny weather. [4]
Away from breeding sites, adult Canada darners are often found with other darner species in feeding swarms in clearings and along roadways in early evening. [4] [5] Adult Canada darners may be seen from June to October. [5]
Canada darners are often considered to be a common to abundant species where they are found. [4] [8] [9] [7] Although the species has not generally been recognised as migratory, a study in Manitoba and Minnesota found that at least some populations of Canada darners undertake north-south migratory movements within their range. [7]
Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies, found nearly worldwide, with more than 50 genera and over 450 species.
Aeshna, or the mosaic darners, is a genus of dragonflies from the family Aeshnidae. Species within this genus are generally known as "hawkers" or "darners".
The migrant hawker is one of the smaller species of hawker dragonflies. It can be found away from water but for breeding it prefers still or slow-flowing water and can tolerate brackish sites. The flight period is from July to the end of October. A. mixta occurs in North Africa, southern and central Europe to the Baltic region.
The green darner or common green darner, after its resemblance to a darning needle, is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. One of the most common and abundant species throughout North America, it also ranges south to Panama. It is well known for its great migration distance from the northern United States south into Texas and Mexico. It also occurs in the Caribbean, Tahiti, and Asia from Japan to mainland China. It is the official insect for the state of Washington in the United States.
The southern hawker or blue hawker is a species of hawker dragonfly.
The azure hawker is one of the smaller species of hawker dragonflies,. The flight period is from late May to August
The blue-eyed darner is a common dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae; native to the western United States, it is commonly sighted in the sagebrush steppe of the Snake River Plain, occurring east to the Midwest from central Canada and the Dakotas south to west Texas and Oklahoma. In Central America it occurs south to Panama. This is usually the second earliest darner to emerge in the spring, with the California darner emerging first. It hunts small flying insects while on the wing.
Erythemis simplicicollis, the eastern pondhawk, also known as the common pondhawk, is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae, native to the eastern two-thirds of the United States and southern Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is a dragonfly of ponds and still waters. The species is distinguished in that the female is bright green with a banded abdomen and the mature male has a blue abdomen with a green face and green and blue thorax.
Somatochlora sahlbergi, the treeline emerald, is a species of dragonfly in the family Corduliidae. It is found at high latitudes across northern Eurasia and North America, and occurs farther north than any other dragonfly.
The blue-spotted hawker is the only known species of dragonfly of the genus Adversaeschna in the family Aeshnidae.
Aeshna affinis, the southern migrant hawker or blue-eyed hawker, is a dragonfly found in southern Europe and Asia. It is in the family Aeshnidae and is very similar in appearance to A. mixta.
Aeshna verticalis, the green-striped darner, is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. It is typically found in northeastern United States and southern Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. The green-striped darner has an IUCN conservation status of "Least Concern" with a stable population.
The shadow darner is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. It is found in almost all of Canada and most states in the United States.
Anax parthenope, the lesser emperor, is a dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae. It is found in Southern Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Asia.
Chalcolestes viridis, formerly Lestes viridis, is a damselfly of the family Lestidae. It has a metallic green body and at rest it holds its wings away from its body. Its common name is the willow emerald damselfly, the green emerald damselfly, or the western willow spreadwing. It has an elongated abdomen and pale brown spots on its wings and resides in areas of still water with overhanging trees.
The comet darner is a common species of dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae.
The paddle-tailed darner is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. It is common throughout western Canada and United States. This species is named after its distinctive paddle-shaped appendages. It lives in many habitats, particularly lakes, ponds, and slow streams, usually with dense shore vegetation. Aeshna palmata was scientifically described for the first time in 1856 by Hermann Hagen.
Anax immaculifrons, the magnificent emperor, or blue darner, is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. Almost all its range is in West and South Asia ; it is Europe's largest dragonfly but very marginal in the continent where restricted to some Aegean Islands and Cyprus.
Triacanthagyna septima, the pale green darner, is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. It is found in southern Texas.
Rhionaeschna californica, the California darner, is a species of darner in the dragonfly family Aeshnidae. It is commonly found in Central America, along the West Coast of the United States, and in Southwestern Canada. The California darner prefers habitats like lakes, ponds, marshes and stream pools with edge vegetation including many with alkaline water conditions Larvae sustain themselves on a diet of aquatic insects,very small fish and tadpoles. The adult-stage will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insect.
