''Acanthaeschna victoria'', the thylacine darner, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of Australian

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 temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

in the family

Telephlebiidae Telephlebiidae is a family of dragonflies endemic to eastern and south-western Australia. They are medium-sized to very large dragonflies, generally found around streams. The family Telephlebiidae is not recognised in the World Odonata List at t ...

. It is the only member of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

''Acanthaeschna''. ''Acanthaeschna victoria'' is rare and

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to coastal areas of both southern and northern New South Wales as well as southern Queensland. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is intertidal

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

es. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. ''Acanthaeschna victoria'' is a large, brown dragonfly with a distinctive dark band on the side of its body that runs from the head to the abdomen. It has clear wings with a small dark stain at the nodus, the joint near the middle of the leading edge of each wing.

Gallery

Acanthaeschna victoria (39738567482).jpg, Female Acanthaeschna victoria from below (39770406731).jpg, Female from below Acanthaeschna victoria from the side (39738565062).jpg, Female showing a broad dark band on the side of her body Acanthaeschna victoria eyes (39770409751).jpg, Eyes Acanthaeschna victoria female wings (34665086470).jpg, Female wings Acanthaeschna victoria male wings (34665092730).jpg, Male wings

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q307154 Telephlebiidae Odonata of Australia Insects of Australia Endemic fauna of Australia Taxa named by René Martin Insects described in 1901 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot