Common hawker

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Common hawker
Aeshna juncea LC0175.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Infraorder: Anisoptera
Family: Aeshnidae
Genus: Aeshna
Species:
A. juncea
Binomial name
Aeshna juncea
Distribution of Aeshna juncea.png
Range of Aeshna juncea
Synonyms

Aeshna rusticaZetterstedt, 1840
Aeshna undulataBartenev, 1930
Libellula junceaL. 1758

The common hawker, [2] moorland hawker [1] or sedge darner [1] (Aeshna juncea) is one of the larger species of hawker dragonflies. It is native to Palearctic (from Ireland to Japan) and northern North America. The flight period is from June to early October.

It is 74 millimetres (2.9 in) long with a brown body. The male has a black abdomen with paired blue and yellow spots on each abdominal segment, and narrow stripes along the dorsal surface of the thorax. In the female, the abdomen is brown with yellow or sometimes green or blue spots. The wings of both sexes display a yellow costa (the major vein running along the leading edge of the wings). This species lacks the green thorax stripes of the southern hawker.

Female common hawkers will sometimes dive out of the sky and feign death in order to avoid copulating with males. [3] [4]

Male hovering Aeshna juncea hovering.jpg
Male hovering

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Aeshna isoceles is a small hawker dragonfly that is found in Europe, mostly around the Mediterranean, and the lowlands of North Africa. Its common name in English is green-eyed hawker. In Britain it is a rare and local species and is known as the Norfolk hawker. It has a brown colour with green eyes and clear wings and also a yellow triangular mark on the second abdominal segment which gave rise to its scientific name. It used to be in the genus Anaciaeschna as it has several differences from the other members of the genus Aeshna. Its specific name is often spelt isosceles.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-eyed darner</span> Species of dragonfly

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<i>Zosteraeschna minuscula</i> Species of dragonfly

Zosteraeschna minuscula, the friendly hawker is a species of dragonfly in family Aeshnidae. It is found in South Africa and Namibia. Its natural habitats include ponds and still pools in montane streams.

<i>Anaciaeschna jaspidea</i> Species of dragonfly

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Boudot, J.-P. (2017). "Aeshna juncea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T165518A65835376. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T165518A65835376.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. "Common Hawker". British Dragonfly Society . Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  3. "Female dragonflies fake sudden death to avoid male advances". New Scientist. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  4. Khelifa, Rassim (2017-06-01). "Faking death to avoid male coercion: extreme sexual conflict resolution in a dragonfly". Ecology. 98 (6): 1724–1726. doi:10.1002/ecy.1781. ISSN   1939-9170. PMID   28436995. S2CID   42601970.