Aeshna petalura female laying eggs Phulchowki

Aeshna petalura female laying eggs Phulchowki head

''Aeshna'', or the mosaic darners, is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

dragonflies A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threaten ...

from the family

Aeshnidae The Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies. The family includes the largest dragonflies found in North America and Europe and among the largest dragonflies on the planet. Description Common worldwide or ...

. Species within this genus are generally known as "hawkers" (

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by th ...

) or "darners" (

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

Description

These are relatively large dragonflies. Their thoraces and abdomens are brown in color, with blue or yellow stripes or spots on the thorax, and yellow, blue or green spots on the abdomen. Natalia von Ellenrieder's 2003 paper demonstrated that the

Holarctic The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical regi ...

and

Neotropic The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bi ...

al species placed in this genus did not share a common ancestor, and proposed the latter be placed in the genus '' Rhionaeschna''. The name ''Aeshna'' was coined by the Danish entomologist

Fabricius Fabricius ( la, smith, german: Schmied, Schmidt) is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *people from the Ancient Roman gens Fabricia: **Gaius Fabricius Luscinus, the first of the Fabricii to move to Rome * Johann Goldsmid (1587� ...

in the 18th century. The name may have resulted from a printer's error in spelling the Greek ''Aechma'', "a spear". The spelling ''Aeschna'' has been intermittently used over a period of time, but is now abandoned for the original name ''Aeshna''. However, derived genus names (such as '' Rhionaeschna'') retain the 'sch' spelling, as this is how they were first cited.

Species

Many species formerly included in ''Aeshna'' have been split into other genera, including '' Afroaeschna'', '' Andaeschna'', '' Pinheyschna'', '' Rhionaeschna'', and ''

Zosteraeschna ''Zosteraeschna'' is the scientific name of a genus of dragonflies from the family Aeshnidae. These relatively large dragonflies are also known as hawkers. They are dark brown with yellow-green markings; On the abdomens of the males, much of th ...

''. The genus ''Aeshna'' includes these species: *'' Aeshna affinis'' – southern migrant hawker, blue-eyed hawker *†''

Aeshna andancensis ''Aeshna'', or the mosaic darners, is a genus of dragonflies from the family Aeshnidae. Species within this genus are generally known as "hawkers" (Old World) or "darners" (New World). Description These are relatively large dragonflies. T ...

'' *''

Aeshna athalia ''Aeshna athalia'' is a species of dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in ...

'' *''

Aeshna caerulea The azure hawker (''Aeshna caerulea'') is one of the smaller species of hawker dragonflies, (family Aeshnidae). The flight period is from late May to August It is about 62 mm long. Both sexes have azure blue spots on each abdominal segment ...

'' – azure hawker *''

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.Mead, Kurt. (2017). ''Dragonflies of the North Woods.'' 3rd edition. Duluth, MN: ...

'' – Canada darner *''

Aeshna clepsydra ''Aeshna clepsydra'', the mottled darner, is a species of darner in the dragonfly family Aeshnidae The Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies. The family includes the largest dragonflies found in Nor ...

'' – mottled darner *''

Aeshna constricta ''Aeshna constricta'', the lance-tipped darner, is a species of darner in the dragonfly family Aeshnidae The Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies. The family includes the largest dragonflies found ...

'' – lance-tipped darner *''

Aeshna crenata ''Aeshna crenata'', the Siberian hawker, is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. It is found in Belarus, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spannin ...

'' – Siberian hawker *''

Aeshna cyanea The southern hawker or blue hawker (''Aeshna cyanea'') is a species of hawker dragonfly. Distribution The species is one of the most common and most widespread dragonflies in Europe. The total range is West Palearctic and covers a large part of ...

'' – blue hawker, southern hawker *''

Aeshna eremita ''Aeshna eremita'', the lake darner, is a species of dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with f ...

'' – lake darner *'' Aeshna frontalis'' *'' Aeshna grandis'' – brown hawker *''

Aeshna interrupta The variable darner (''Aeshna interrupta'') is a dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae, native from Alaska through the Northwest Territories to Newfoundland, south to New Hampshire and Michigan in the eastern United States, and to the mountains of New ...

'' – variable darner *'' Aeshna isoceles'' – Norfolk Hawker *'' Aeshna juncea'' – common hawker, sedge darner, moorland hawker *''

Aeshna mixta The migrant hawker (''Aeshna mixta'') 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 ...

'' – migrant hawker *'' Aeshna palmata'' – paddle-tailed darner *'' Aeshna persephone'' – Persephone's darner *''

Aeshna petalura ''Aeshna'', or the mosaic darners, is a genus of dragonflies from the family Aeshnidae. Species within this genus are generally known as "hawkers" (Old World) or "darners" ( New World). Description These are relatively large dragonflies ...

'' *''

Aeshna septentrionalis ''Aeshna septentrionalis'', the azure darner, is a species of darner in the dragonfly family Aeshnidae The Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies. The family includes the largest dragonflies found in ...

'' – azure darner *'' Aeshna serrata'' – Baltic hawker *''

Aeshna shennong ''Aeshna'', or the mosaic darners, is a genus of dragonflies from the family Aeshnidae. Species within this genus are generally known as "hawkers" (Old World) or "darners" ( New World). Description These are relatively large dragonflies ...

'' *''

Aeshna sitchensis ''Aeshna sitchensis'', the zigzag darner, is a species of darner in the dragonfly family Aeshnidae The Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies. The family includes the largest dragonflies found in Nort ...

'' – zigzag darner *'' Aeshna subarctica'' – bog hawker, subarctic darner *''

Aeshna tuberculifera ''Aeshna tuberculifera'', the black-tipped darner, is a species of darner in the dragonfly family Aeshnidae The Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies. The family includes the largest dragonflies foun ...

'' – black-tipped darner *''

Aeshna umbrosa The shadow darner (''Aeshna umbrosa'') is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. It is found in almost all of Canada and most states in the United States. Identification The shadow darner is a large dragonfly with a length of . The ba ...

'' – shadow darner *'' Aeshna vercanica'' *''

Aeshna verticalis ''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 New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick ...

'' – green-striped darner *'' Aeshna viridis'' – green hawker *'' Aeshna walkeri'' – Walker's darner *'' Aeshna williamsoniana'' – Williamson's darner

References

External links

''Aeshna''
BugGuide *Corbet, P. S. 1999. Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA, 829pp. *von Ellenrieder, N., 2003. A synopsis of the Neotropical species of'' 'Aeshna' ''Fabricius: the genus ''Rhionaeschna'' Förster (Odonata: Aeshnidae). - ''Tijdschrift voor Entomologie'' 146 (1): 67-207. {{Taxonbar, from=Q746347 Aeshnidae Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius Anisoptera genera