Canada Darner on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
''Aeshna canadensis'', the Canada darner, is a species of
Canada darners spend most of their lives as an aquatic nymph. Larvae are typically found in lakes and ponds, especially 
Away from breeding sites, adult Canada darners are often found with other darner 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 and Minnesota found that at least some populations of Canada darners undertake north-south migratory movements within their range.
Canada darner
NJOdes
Canada darner
eNature.com
Canada darner
Talk about Wildlife {{Taxonbar, from=Q1375692 Aeshnidae Insects described in 1908
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. It is common throughout southern Canada and the northern United States.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'', 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 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 is also similar but is larger and has a distinct dark stripe across the face.Taxonomy
The ''Canada darner'' was first scientifically described in 1908 by Canadianentomologist
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, in the same publication as the first descriptions of black-tipped darner, shadow darner
The shadow darner (''Aeshna umbrosa'') is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. It is found in almost all of Canada and most states in the United States.
Identification
The shadow darner is a large dragonfly with a length of . The ...
, 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 conce ...
, and variable darner, .
Distribution
Canada darners are found fromNewfoundland
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 in the east to Yukon in the west. Populations extend further south down the Appalachian mountains to West Virginia and south in mountain ranges to California and Montana. There is an isolated population in Nebraska.
Life history
Canada darners spend most of their lives as an aquatic nymph. Larvae are typically found in lakes and ponds, especially bog
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...
ponds and beaver pond
A beaver dam or beaver impoundment is a dam built by beavers to create a pond which protects against predators such as coyotes, wolves and bears, and holds their food during winter. These structures modify the natural environment in such a way th ...
s. Breeding ponds typically have abundant emergent vegetation
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments (saltwater or freshwater). They are also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes to distinguish them from algae and other microphytes. A macrophyte is a plant that g ...
. An Ontario 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.
Away from breeding sites, adult Canada darners are often found with other darner 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 and Minnesota 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