''Aeshna canadensis'', the Canada 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 fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

in 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 ...

. It is common throughout southern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the northern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

.Mead, Kurt. (2017). ''Dragonflies of the North Woods.'' 3rd edition. Duluth, MN: Kollath+Stensaas, p.34-35.

Description

Adult Canada darners, similar to other members of the genus ''

Aeshna ''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. ...

'', are relatively large, slender dragonflies, and are predominantly dark brown with paler blue or green markings. Adults are 64 to 73 mm in total length. The

thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...

has two vertical stripes on each side, the front with a prominent notch and an extension at the top. The abdomen has spots on most segments. The pale markings are usually blue in males and range from yellow-green to blue in females. The eyes are bluish in males and yellowish or bluish in females. The pale markings may turn gray at colder temperatures. The green-striped darner is very similar, but is distinguished by minor differences in the shape of the markings and in typically having green thorax stripes. The

lake darner ''Aeshna eremita'', the lake darner, is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. It is found in Alaska, the Northern United States and across Canada.Dunkle, S.W. (2000). ''Dragonflies through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of Nor ...

is also similar but is larger and has a distinct dark stripe across the face.

Taxonomy

The ''Canada darner'' was first

scientifically described A species description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species that have be ...

in 1908 by Canadian

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Edmund Murton Walker Edmund Murton Walker (October 5, 1877 – February 14, 1969) was a Canadian entomologist. He described the genus '' Grylloblatta'' in 1914 which he then considered as a member of the Orthoptera and later placed it in a separate order Grylloblatt ...

, in the same publication as the first descriptions of black-tipped darner, shadow darner,

subarctic darner ''Aeshna subarctica'', the subarctic darner, is a species of darner in the family Aeshnidae. It is found in Europe and Northern Asia (excluding China) and North America. The IUCN conservation status of ''Aeshna subarctica'' is "LC", least concer ...

, and

variable darner 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 ...

, .

Distribution

Canada darners are found from

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

and

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

in the east to

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

in the west. Populations extend further south down the

Appalachian mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

to West Virginia and south in mountain ranges to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. There is an isolated population in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

Life history

The North American Dragonflies of the Genus Aeshna E M Walker - Plate 6 - Aeshna canadensis

The North American Dragonflies of the Genus Aeshna E M Walker - Plate 5

Canada darners spend most of their lives as an aquatic nymph. Larvae are typically found in lakes and ponds, especially bog ponds and beaver ponds. Breeding ponds typically have abundant emergent vegetation. An

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

study found that the species was restricted to ponds with a pH of no more than 6.2. One study found that larvae may spend either one or two winters underwater before emerging. Adult males fly slowly along the shores of breeding ponds, sometimes dropping to the surface to search for females. Mating occurs in shrubs nearby. Females lay eggs at water level, usually in marshy vegetation away from shore. Breeding adults are most active in sunny weather. Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600

Away from breeding sites, adult Canada darners are often found with other

darner 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 in feeding swarms in clearings and along roadways in early evening. Adult Canada darners may be seen from June to October. Canada darners are often considered to be a common to abundant species where they are found. Although the species has not generally been recognised as migratory, a study in

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

found that at least some populations of Canada darners undertake north-south migratory movements within their range.

References

External links

Canada darner
NJOdes
Canada darner
eNature.com
Canada darner
Talk about Wildlife {{Taxonbar, from=Q1375692 Aeshnidae Insects described in 1908