Green darner

The green darner or common green darner[3] (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.[4] It is well known for its great migration distance from the northern United States south into Texas and Mexico.[5][6] It also occurs in the Caribbean, Tahiti, and Asia from Japan to mainland China.[7] It is the official insect for the state of Washington in the United States.

Green darner
Adult female, Blackwell Forest Preserve, Illinois[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Infraorder: Anisoptera
Family: Aeshnidae
Genus: Anax
Species:
A. junius
Binomial name
Anax junius
(Drury, 1773)

The green darner is one of the largest extant dragonflies; males grow to 76 mm (3.0 in) in length with a wingspan up to 80 mm (3.1 in).[7][8]

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.

References
  1. Cirrus Digital Anax junius
  2. Anax junius
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Miner, Angela (2002-09-14). "Anax junius". Animal Diversity Web.
  8. Hahn, Jeffrey (2009). Insects of the North Woods. Kollath+Stensaas Publishing. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-9792006-4-9.

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