Species: Anax junius
Common Green Darner
Species
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
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Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Mandibulata
Class
Insecta
Order
Odonata
Family
Aeshnidae
Genus
Anax
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
anax
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Invertebrates - Insects - Dragonflies and Damselflies
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Mandibulata - Insecta - Odonata - Aeshnidae - Anax
Ecology and Life History
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Habitat Type Description
Freshwater
Migration
false - false - true - This species is one of the few North American dragonflies that migrates and is therefore most common in the spring and fall. Migration may be triggered by seasonal warm fronts. Massive swarm migrations (1.2 million individuals) have been documented in Illinois, New Jersey, and Florida (Russell et al., 1998). Migrants from the south are some of the first dragonflies seen in spring and southbound swarms in Massachusetts in early fall may have thousands of individuals (Nikula et al., 2003). It generally arrives in Minnesota in late April and breeds primarily in marshy lakes and ponds. A new generation of adults fly south in September (Haarstad, 1997). There is evidence that the migratory movements are strongly influenced by seasonal warm fronts (Abbott, 2005).
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
It is a voracious predator commonly taking wasps, butterflies, mosquitoes, and other dragonflies on the wing. It has even been reported to attack hummingbirds and can be cannibalistic (Abbott, 2007).
Reproduction Comments
Males patrol shorelines competing with other males in search of females. This is the only darner that often lays eggs in tandem (Abbott, 2005); the female suberges her abdomen and oviposits in aquatic and emergent vegetation (Nikula et al., 2003).
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
2008-03-26
Global Status Last Changed
1985-12-30
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
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Global Range
H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - This species is widespread in the United States, known from every state (Needham et al., 2000) and southern Canada; and also ranges into the West Indies, Guatemala and Belize south to Costa Rica; and recently in England (Abbott, 2007).
Global Range Code
H
Global Range Description
>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)