| Vagrant emperor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Infraorder: | Anisoptera |
| Family: | Aeshnidae |
| Genus: | Anax |
| Species: | A. ephippiger |
| Binomial name | |
| Anax ephippiger (Burmeister, 1839) | |
| Synonyms | |
Anax ephippiger, the vagrant emperor, is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. [3] [4] It migrates to Afro-tropical, Europe, central and southern Asia through monsoon winds. [1]
It is found in Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, India, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi. Recorded in Malta in 1957, and every few years since, where it is seen migrating in large numbers. It has never been recorded breeding in the Maltese archipelago. [5] [6] It is increasingly being recorded in coastal Southern England and up to 10 miles (16 km) inland – one was seen at Knepp Wildland on 17 November 2021 [7] (the 5th confirmed record for that year[ citation needed ]).
It is a large dragonfly with greenish-yellow eyes. Its thorax is olivaceous-brown, paler on sides. Wings are transparent with an amber-yellow patch. Abdomen is ochreous, marked with azure-blue and reddish-brown. Segment 2 is bright blue on dorsum, in males (pale grey-blue in females) and pale green on the sides. Segments 3 to 7 are olivaceous-yellow with irregular reddish-brown stripes on mid-dorsum and narrow black apical annules. There is a broad mid-dorsal blackish-brown stripe on segments 8 and 9, enclosing a pair of triangular yellow apical spots. Segment 10 is bright yellow, with its base and mid-dorsum broadly black. Female is otherwise similar to the male. [8]
Its natural habitats are shrub-dominated wetlands, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, and freshwater springs. It breeds in shallow tanks and marshes. [8]
A rare long-distance migrant to the British Isles, occasionally seen even in winter. [3]
Anax guttatus, the pale-spotted emperor or lesser green emperor, is a dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae.
Trithemis aurora, the crimson marsh glider, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is a common and widely distributed species found throughout the year across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
Lestes praemorsus is a damselfly species in the family Lestidae. It is commonly known as the scalloped spreadwing or sapphire-eyed spreadwing. It is very widely distributed from India to China and south to New Guinea.
Anax parthenope, the lesser emperor, is a dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae. It is found in Southern Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Asia.
The long-legged marsh glider or dancing dropwing is a species of dragonfly found in Asia.
Copera vittata is a species of damselfly in the family Platycnemididae. It is native to Asia, where it is widely distributed from India to Indonesia. It is known commonly as the blue bush dart. There are several subspecies and it may represent a species complex.
Lestes elatus is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. It is known commonly as the emerald spreadwing. It is native to India, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Amphiallagma parvum, little blue or azure dartlet, is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. This species can be found in many South Asian countries including India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, and probably in Bangladesh.
Pseudagrion malabaricum, Malabar sprite, jungle grass dart, is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is found in India, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar.
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.
Anax indicus is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. It is found in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Indothemis carnatica, the black marsh skimmer, or light-tipped demon, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Lyriothemis acigastra or Little Bloodtail is a species of dragonfly in the family of Libellulidae known from India. The International Union for Conservation of Nature also cites very old collections in Burma, China and Tibet.
Anaciaeschna jaspidea is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae, commonly known as the Australasian duskhawker and Rusty darner. It is widely distributed from India through Australia to the Pacific.
Pseudagrion indicum, yellow-striped blue dart or yellow-striped dart, is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is found only in Western Ghats of India.
Euphaea fraseri, Malabar torrent dart, is a species of damselfly in the family Euphaeidae. This species is endemic to the Western Ghats; known to occur in various locations up to Goa.
Disparoneura quadrimaculata, black-winged bambootail is a damselfly species in the family Platycnemididae. It is a widely distributed species in India.
Protosticta sanguinostigma, the red spot reedtail, is a damselfly species in the family Platystictidae. It is endemic to Western Ghats in India. It is known to occur only in a few localities.
Megalogomphus superbus, is a species of dragonfly in the family Gomphidae. It is known only from the Western Ghats of India.
Epophthalmia frontalis is a species of dragonfly in the family Macromiidae. It is found in India, Nepal, Thailand, and other southeast Asian countries.
