Aeshna

File:Aeshna petalura female laying eggs Phulchowki.jpg

A. petalura female laying eggs
Phulchowki, Nepal

File:Aeshna petalura female laying eggs Phulchowki head.jpg

A. petalura female laying eggs
Phulchowki, Nepal

Aeshna,<ref name="DPIX" /> or the mosaic darners, is a genus of dragonflies from the family Aeshnidae. Species within this genus are generally known as "hawkers" (Old World) or "darners" (New World).

Description

These are relatively large dragonflies. Their thoraces and abdomens are brown in color, with blue or yellow stripes or spots on the thorax, and yellow, blue or green spots on the abdomen.

Natalia von Ellenrieder's 2003 paper demonstrated that the Holarctic and Neotropical species placed in this genus did not share a common ancestor, and proposed the latter be placed in the genus Rhionaeschna.

The name Aeshna was coined by the Danish entomologist Fabricius in the 18th century. The name may have resulted from a printer's error in spelling the Greek Aechma, "a spear".<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> The spelling Aeschna has been intermittently used over a period of time, but is now abandoned for the original name Aeshna. However, derived genus names (such as Rhionaeschna) retain the 'sch' spelling, as this is how they were first cited.

Species

Many species formerly included in Aeshna have been split into other genera, including Afroaeschna, Andaeschna, Pinheyschna, Rhionaeschna, and Zosteraeschna.<ref name="WOL" />

The genus Aeshna includes these species:<ref name="WOL">Template:World Odonata List</ref>

• Aeshna affinis Template:Small – southern migrant hawker,<ref name="BDS">Template:Cite web</ref> blue-eyed hawker<ref name="DPIX">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Aeshna annulata Template:Small (Doubtful Species)
• Aeshna athalia Template:Small
• Aeshna caerulea Template:Small – azure hawker<ref name="BDS" />
• Aeshna canadensis Template:Small – Canada darner<ref name="NAO">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Aeshna clepsydra Template:Small – mottled darner<ref name="NAO" />
• Aeshna constricta Template:Small – lance-tipped darner<ref name="NAO" />
• Aeshna crenata Template:Small – Siberian hawker<ref name="DPIX" />
• Aeshna cyanea Template:Small – blue hawker,<ref name="DPIX" /> southern hawker<ref name="BDS" />
• Aeshna eremita Template:Small – lake darner<ref name="NAO" />
• Aeshna frontalis Template:Small
• Aeshna grandis Template:Small – brown hawker<ref name="BDS" />
• Aeshna interrupta Template:Small – variable darner<ref name="NAO" />
• Aeshna isoceles Template:Small – Norfolk Hawker
• Aeshna juncea Template:Small – common hawker,<ref name="BDS" /> sedge darner,<ref name="NAO" /> moorland hawker<ref name="DPIX" />
• Aeshna mixta Template:Small – migrant hawker<ref name="BDS" />
• Aeshna palmata Template:Small – paddle-tailed darner<ref name="NAO" />
• Aeshna persephone Template:Small – Persephone's darner<ref name="NAO" />
• Aeshna petalura Template:Small
• Aeshna septentrionalis Template:Small – azure darner<ref name="NAO" />
• Aeshna serrata Template:Small – Baltic hawker<ref name="DPIX" />
• Aeshna shennong Template:Small
• Aeshna sitchensis Template:Small – zigzag darner<ref name="NAO" />
• Aeshna soneharai Template:Small<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Aeshna subarctica Template:Small – bog hawker,<ref name="DPIX" /> subarctic darner<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Aeshna tuberculifera Template:Small – black-tipped darner<ref name="NAO" />
• Aeshna umbrosa Template:Small – shadow darner<ref name="NAO" />
• Aeshna vercanica Template:Small
• Aeshna verticalis Template:Small – green-striped darner<ref name="NAO" />
• Aeshna viridis Template:Small – green hawker<ref name="DPIX" />
• Aeshna walkeri Template:Small – Walker's darner<ref name="NAO" />
• Aeshna williamsoniana Template:Small – Williamson's darner<ref>Template:Cite iucn</ref>

Fossil species

File:Aeshna andancensis holotype MNHN.F.R10403 part side direct lighting.jpg

Aeshna andancensis holotype wing

Note that many fossil species in the genus were named at a time when many extant species now included in other genera were included in Aeshna.<ref name="WOL" /> The list of valid fossil species is based on Nel et al. (2022), with species of uncertain validity noted:<ref name="Neletal1994">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

• †Aeshna andancensis Template:Small – Late Miocene (Turolian), France
• †Aeshna caseneuvensis Nel et al., 2022 – earliest Oligocene (Rupelian) of France
• †Aeshna cerdanica Template:Small – Late Miocene (Vallesian), Spain
• ?†Aeshna dido Template:Small (Aeshnidae incertae sedis) – Late Oligocene, Rott Formation, Germany
• †Aeshna forficatum Li et al., 2011 – Middle Miocene, Shanwang Formation, China<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref>
• †Aeshna ghiandonii Template:Small – Late Miocene (Messinian), Gessoso Formation, Italy
• ?†Aeshna heterofasciata Template:Small (Anisoptera incertae sedis) – Early Oligocene, Salt Formation, Germany
• †Aeshna ignivora Zhang, 1989 – Middle Miocene, Shanwang Formation, China<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• ?†Aeshna larvata Template:Small (Anisoptera incertae sedis) – Late Eocene (Priabonian), Florissant Formation, Colorado
• †Aeshna messiniana Template:Small – Late Miocene (Messinian), Gessoso Formation, Italy
• †Aeshna multicellulata Template:Small – Late Miocene (Messinian), Gessoso Formation, Italy
• †Aeshna oligocenica Template:Small – terminal Oligocene, Niveau du gypse d'Aix Formation, France
• †Aeshna ollivieri Template:Small – Late Oligocene, Campagne-Calavon Formation, France
• ?†Aeshna paleocyanea Template:Small (Aeshnidae incertae sedis) – Early Oligocene (Stampian), France
• †Aeshna shanwangensis Li et al., 2011 – Middle Miocene, Shanwang Formation, China<ref name=":0" />
• †Aeshna solida Template:Small – Late Eocene (Priabonian), Florissant Formation, Colorado
• †Aeshna stavropolensis Nel et al., 2005 – Middle Miocene of North Caucasus, Russia<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• ?†Aeshna theobaldi Template:Small (Aeshnidae incertae sedis) – Early Pleistocene (Villafranchian), France
• ?†Aeshna tyche Template:Small (Aeshnidae incertae sedis) – Late Miocene (Sarmatian), Upper Freshwater-Molasse Formation, Germany
• †Aeshna voesendorfensis Template:Small – Late Miocene (Messinian), Austria
• †Aeshna zlatkokvaceki Prokop et al., 2016 – Early Miocene of the Czech Republic<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

External links

• Aeshna, BugGuide
• Corbet, P. S. 1999. Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA, 829pp.
• von Ellenrieder, N., 2003. A synopsis of the Neotropical species of 'Aeshna' Fabricius: the genus Rhionaeschna Förster (Odonata: Aeshnidae). - Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 146 (1): 67-207.