Shadow Darner
Encyclopedia
The Shadow Darner is a species dragonfly
in the family
Aeshnidae
.
).
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Aeshnidae
Aeshnidae
The hawkers include the largest dragonflies found in North America and Europe, and are among the largest of the dragonflies on the planet...
.
Adult
The shadow darner is a large dragonfly with a length of 2 5/8 to 3 1/8 inches (68 to 78 mm). The base is brownish black in color. Greenish crescent-shaped spots are at the top of the thorax. The sides of the thorax are marked with two yellowish to yellowish green diagonal stripes. Its abdomen is marked with bluish green spots. The male shadow darner has paddle-shaped anal appendages.Naiad
The naiad of the shadow darner is large in size, with a length of 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches (38 to 43 mm). This naiad is long and slender, which is the typical shape of immature Darners. Its mottled green and brown.Distribution
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Habitat
The shadow darner patrols along small marshy streams. Its often found feeding along woodland edges or even in deep shadow in full forest. Shadow darners can also be found near ditches, slow streams, and ponds.Naiad
The shadow darner naiad feeds on a wide variety of aquatic insects, such as mosquito larvae, other aquatic fly larvae, mayfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp. They also feed on small fish and tadpoles.Adult
This dragonfly will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insect including mosquitoes, flies, butterflies, moths, mayflies, and stoneflies.Ecology
The naiad is an active predator and are able to swim by jet propulsion. They squirt water out from the ends of their abdomens. They will generally take several years to mature, and when the immature changes into a dragonfly, they do so at night. This behavior probably was evolved to avoid being eaten be daytime predators. The adult generally flies from late April to November, and do all of their hunting while on the wing. The shadow darner is able to regulate its body temperature which enables it to fly in temperatures too cold for most dragonflies. This dragonfly species in particular seems to be extremely cold tolerant. This dragonfly flies at dusk and in shaded areas, and it flies later into the fall than any species other than the yellow-legged meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinumSympetrum vicinum
The Yellow-legged Meadowhawk or Autumn Meadowhawk or is a member of the Libellulidae family and grows to 26–35 mm long.-Naiad:This is a small naiad, with a length of . It is mottled green and brown in color...
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