''Anaciaeschna jaspidea''
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
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its o ...
,
commonly known as the Australasian duskhawker
and Rusty darner.
It widely distributed from
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
through
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
to the
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
.
Description and habitat
It is a large brown dragonfly with blue eyes. Its thorax is reddish-brown, with two broad greenish-yellow stripes on each side. Wings are transparent with
pterostigma
The pterostigma (plural: pterostigmata) is a group of specialized cells in the outer insect wing, wings of insects, which are often thickened or coloured, and thus stand out from other cells. It is particularly noticeable in dragonfly, dragonfli ...
, reddish-brown. Abdomen is reddish-brown, marked with azure-blue, white, and yellow. Segment 1 has a large pale yellow spot on each side. Segment 2 has white marks on the sides and azure-blue on the dorsum with a broad spot of reddish-brown on mid-dorsum. Segment 3 to 7 are brown on dorsum with black apical annules. Segments 8 to 10 are darker on dorsum with a pair of dorsal apical spots. Anal appendages are dark reddish-brown. Female is similar to the male.
It is a
crepuscular
In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal, vespertine, or both. This is distinguished from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, where an animal is active during the hours of daylig ...
species, flies during dawn and dusk. It is common in marshes surrounded by woods where it breeds.
Note
The Australasian duskhawker, ''Anaciaeschna jaspidea'', should not be confused with almost-similarly named Australian duskhawker
''Austrogynacantha'' is a genus of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. ''Austrogynacantha heterogena'', commonly known as the Australian duskhawker, is the only known species of this genus
which is found in Australia
and New Caledonia.
''Austrogy ...
, ''Austrogynacantha heterogena'', a different species of Aeshnid dragonfly.
See also
* List of Odonata species of Australia
This is a list of species of damselflies and dragonflies recorded in Australia.
Common names of species are linked, beside their scientific names.
The list is split into two groups: damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) and other dragonflies (infr ...
* List of odonata species of India
* List of odonata of Kerala
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1996677
Aeshnidae
Odonata of Australia
Insects of Australia
Taxa named by Hermann Burmeister
Insects described in 1839