The Tasmanian darner, (''Austroaeschna tasmanica''), 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 large

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 ...

, which includes some of the world's largest dragonflies. It is found in

Tasmania, Australia ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. The species was first described by Robert Tillyard in 1916 and inhabits streams and rivers. Also referred to as "hawkers", the name "darner" derives from the fact that the female

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

looks like a

sewing needle A sewing needle, used for hand-sewing, is a long slender tool with a pointed tip at one end and a hole (or ''eye'') to hold the sewing thread. The earliest needles were made of bone or wood; modern needles are manufactured from high carbon steel ...

, as it cuts into a plant stem when the female dragonfly lays her eggs through her

ovipositor The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typical ...

. The Tasmanian darner is a stout, dark dragonfly with a very dark colouring and light markings. It appears similar to the lesser Tasmanian darner, ''

Austroaeschna hardyi ''Austroaeschna hardyi'' is a species of large dragonfly in the family Telephlebiidae, known as the lesser Tasmanian darner. It inhabits streams and rivers in Western Tasmania, Australia. ''Austroaeschna hardyi'' is a dark dragonfly with dull ma ...

''.

Gallery

Austroaeschna tasmanica female wings (34242676393).jpg, Female wings Austroaeschna tasmanica male wings (34242688313).jpg, Male wings

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q591414 Telephlebiidae Insects of Australia Endemic fauna of Australia Insects described in 1916