Emperor (dragonfly)
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| Emperor Dragonfly | ||||||||||||||
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 Female laying eggs
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| Anax imperator Leach, 1815 |
The Emperor Dragonfly, Anax imperator, is a large and powerful species of European hawker dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae, averaging 78 mm (3 inches) in length.
[edit] Identification
Males have a sky blue abdomen marked with a diagnostic black dorsal stripe and an apple green thorax. Females have a green thorax and abdomen. The male is highly territorial, and difficult to approach. The species lives by larger ponds, gravel pits, and slow rivers.
[edit] Behavior
This large, powerful Dragonfly is one of the biggest species in Europe. They frequently fly high up into the sky in search of prey, which includes Butterflies to Four-spotted Chasers, small prey is eaten on the wing. The females lay the eggs into plants such as pondweed, and always lay alone.
The emperor dragonfly spends a year in the aquatic nymph stage, but only about 10 days in the air breathing stage. In both stages it lives primarily on other insects such as damsel flies and their nymphs. The adult males participate in aerial dogfights for territory, some of which end in death for one of the combatants.
[edit] External links
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