Green darner

Green darner
Adult female, Blackwell Forest Preserve, Illinois[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Infraorder: Anisoptera
Family: Aeshnidae
Genus: Anax
Species:
A. junius
Binomial name
Anax junius
(Drury, 1773)
Synonyms[3][4]
  • Libellula junia Drury, 1773
  • Anax spiniferus Rambur, 1842
  • Anax ocellatus Hagen, 1867
  • Anex junius (Drury)
  • Gomphus junius (Drury, 1773)
  • Anax severus Hagen, 1867

The green darner or common green darner[5] (Anax junius), 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.[6] It is well known for its great migration distance from the northern United States south into Texas and Mexico.[7][8] It also occurs in the Caribbean, Tahiti, and Asia from Japan to mainland China.[9] It is the official insect for the state of Washington in the United States.

The green darner is a large dragonfly; males grow to 76 mm (3.0 in) in length with a wingspan up to 80 mm (3.1 in).[9][10]

Females oviposit in aquatic vegetation, eggs laid beneath the water surface. Nymphs (naiads) are aquatic carnivores, feeding on insects, tadpoles, and small fish. Adult darners catch insects on the wing, including ant alates, moths, mosquitoes, and flies.

  1. ^ Cirrus Digital Anax junius Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Paulson, D.R. (2018). "Anax junius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T165081A65831504. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T165081A65831504.en. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Common Green Darner". Project BioLib. 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Anax junius Drury, 1773". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  5. ^ Dunkle, Sidney W. (2000). Dragonflies through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America. Oxford University Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-19-972729-2.
  6. ^ Eaton, Eric R.; Kaufman, Kenn (2006). Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-618-15310-7.
  7. ^ Evans, Arthur V. (2007). Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. p. 62. ISBN 978-1-4027-4153-1.
  8. ^ Hallworth, Michael T.; Marra, Peter P.; McFarland, Kent P.; Zahendra, Sara; Studds, Colin E. (2018). "Tracking dragons: stable isotopes reveal the annual cycle of a long-distance migratory insect". Biology Letters. 14 (12): 20180741. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2018.0741. PMC 6303508. PMID 30958242.
  9. ^ a b Miner, Angela (2014). Martina, Leila Siciliano (ed.). "Anax junius". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  10. ^ Hahn, Jeffrey (2009). Insects of the North Woods. Kollath+Stensaas Publishing. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-9792006-4-9.