English: Kingdom: Animalia

Class: Insecta Order: Odonata Infraorder : Anisoptera Family: Aeshnidae Genus: Anax Species: A. guttatus

Binomial name Anax guttatus (Burmeister, 1839)[2]

The Blue Tailed Green Darner, biologically known as Anax guttatus is a dragonfly species that resembles a darning-needle. It belongs to the Aeshnidae family. This species is one of the most commonly found creatures, Anax guttatus, the pale-spotted emperor or lesser green emperor, is a dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae.

Description:

Anax guttatus can reach a wingspan of about 11 centimetres (4.3 in) and a body length of about 8 centimetres (3.1 in). Males of these very large dragonflies have a green thorax and a dark brown abdomen with bright blue-green markings on the sides . Forewings are clear, the inner-half of the hindwings is brown, while the outer-half is clear.

Blue Tailed Green darners are large, showy dragonflies with silvery iridescent wings. bulbous compound eyes, emerald green thorax with a stripe of deep garnet running down the middle of its' blue abdomen, make this dragonfly easy to identify. In immature as well as female Darner, the abdomen is found to be pale green, brown or reddish in color. In all the species, irrespective of male, female or immature, the upper part of the abdomen is seen with a unique dark line. The abdomen of this species is long and narrow resembling a darning needle, from where it acquired its name.

The face of the Blue Tailed Green Darner is yellowish-green with dark and large green eyes that are seen on the top part of the head. The Darner’s wings are clear, although most of the times it turns to a shade of amber as they mature, especially in female dragonflies. The legs of this creature are mostly black or brown in shade. This dragonfly may turn dark purple to grayish in hue during the cold climate, which allows them to absorb the sunlight and heat from the sun.

The Blue Tailed Green Darner in the larva form is smooth and long, which can be usually seen with brown and green marks. The larvae, also known as nymphs are aquatic in nature and undergo many stages of development that takes a long period of time, to molt and emerge as an adult Darner Dragonfly.

Like other species of dragonflies, the Blue Tailed Green Darner dragonfly is a voracious and agile predator. Their vision plays an important role in preying on food, as well as escaping from its predators. The adult Darners feed during the dusk or in the day time, and often roam over the rivers, fields or lakes in swarms, where the food is available in abundance. They munch on a variety of insects, including other dragonflies, butterflies and other flying insects like mosquitoes, ant royalty, flies and moths. The larvae of Green Darner are also carnivorous in nature, but mostly feed on aquatic insects like tadpoles, small fish, mosquito larvae and other insects. The larva catches the prey with the help of its lower jaw, termed as ‘labium’, which consists of hooks that trap the victims.

Behavior: The adults are strong fliers; pattern of movement is fast in a straight line with double backs of "back and forth." Its' wings move in synchronization.

Viewing:

Can be seen in early spring through fall. They will rest on vegetation near bodies of water & Greenery areas.