Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies, found nearly worldwide, with more than 50 genera and over 450 species. The family includes some of the largest dragonflies.

Description

Common worldwide or nearly worldwide genera are '' Aeshna'' and '' Anax''. ''Anax'' includes some of the largest dragonflies, including the North American '' A. walsinghami'', Hawaiian '' A. strenuus'', European '' A. imperator'' and '' A. immaculifrons'', and African '' A. tristis'', but these are all exceeded by another member of the family, the Asian '' Tetracanthagyna plagiata'', which by wingspan and weight is the world's largest dragonfly. There are 41 North American species in 11 genera in this family. Most European species belong to ''Aeshna''. Their American name "darner" stems from the female abdomens looking like a sewing needle, as they cut into plant stem when they lay their eggs through the ovipositor. The dragonflies mate in flight. The eggs are deposited in water or close by. The

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e (

nymphs A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

or naiads) are generally slender compared to those of other families, with a long and flat extensible lower lip (labium). The larvae are aquatic

predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

s, feeding on other insects and even small fish. The adults spend large amounts of time in the air and seem to fly tirelessly with their four large and powerful wings. They can fly forwards or backwards or hover like a helicopter. The wings are always extended horizontally. Their

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...

s are long and thin. Most are colored blue and or green, with black and occasionally yellow. Their large, hemispherical,

compound eye A compound eye is a Eye, visual organ found in arthropods such as insects and crustaceans. It may consist of thousands of ommatidium, ommatidia, which are tiny independent photoreception units that consist of a cornea, lens (anatomy), lens, and p ...

s touch in the midline and nearly cover their heads. They have an extremely good sight, and are voracious insect predators, using their sharp, biting mouthparts. They are therefore very beneficial to mankind. All are extremely hard to catch because of their flying abilities and keen sight.

Taxonomy and genera

The name Aeshnidae was first proposed as a family by Elford Leach in 1815. The spelling of Aeshnidae may have resulted from a printer's error in spelling the Greek ''Aechma'', "a spear". The spelling Aeschnidae has been intermittently used over a period of time, but is now abandoned for the original name Aeshnidae. However, derived genus names (such as '' Rhionaeschna'') retain the 'sch' spelling, as this is how they were first cited. *'' Acanthaeschna'' *'' Adversaeschna'' *'' Aeschnophlebia'' *'' Aeshna'' *'' Afroaeschna'' *'' Agyrtacantha'' *'' Allopetalia'' *'' Amphiaeschna'' *'' Anaciaeschna'' *'' Anax'' *'' Andaeschna'' *'' Antipodophlebia'' *†'' Antiquiala'' *'' Austroaeschna'' *'' Austrogynacantha'' *'' Austrophlebia'' *'' Basiaeschna'' *'' Boyeria'' *'' Brachytron'' *'' Caliaeschna'' *'' Castoraeschna'' *'' Cephalaeschna'' *'' Coryphaeschna'' *'' Dendroaeschna'' *'' Dromaeschna'' *†'' Eoshna'' *'' Epiaeschna'' *'' Gomphaeschna'' *'' Gynacantha'' *'' Gynacanthaeschna'' *'' Heliaeschna'' *†'' Idemlinea'' *'' Indaeschna'' *'' Limnetron'' *'' Linaeschna'' *'' Nasiaeschna'' *'' Neuraeschna'' *'' Notoaeschna'' *'' Oligoaeschna'' *'' Oplonaeschna'' *'' Oreaeschna'' *'' Periaeschna'' *'' Petaliaeschna'' *'' Pinheyschna'' *'' Planaeschna'' *'' Plattycantha'' *'' Polycanthagyna'' *'' Racenaeschna'' *'' Remartinia'' *'' Rhionaeschna'' *'' Sarasaeschna'' *'' Spinaeschna'' *'' Staurophlebia'' *'' Telephlebia'' *'' Tetracanthagyna'' *'' Triacanthagyna'' *†'' Ypshna'' *'' Zosteraeschna''

References

*Silsby, Jill (2001). ''Dragonflies of the World''. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.

External links

List of Anisoptera of the World
H {{Authority control Aeshnoidea Odonata of Asia Odonata of Africa Odonata of Australia Odonata of Europe Odonata of Oceania Odonata of North America Odonata of South America Taxa named by William Elford Leach Insects described in 1815 Odonata families Dragonflies

Description

Taxonomy and genera

See also

References

External links