Dragonfly - Female
Blue-eyed Darner (Rhinoaeschna multicolor) (aka Aeshna multicolor) (aka Common
Blue Darner)
Flight period: March - November. Read
much more information about this species. Distribution: very common
throughout CA - see
map.
(one-quarter resolution version is displayed
above)
( high-res
version, 3054 x 2336, for 1.5:1 best printing, 4.62 MB)
(
special high-res
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Identification notes... Many thanks to the experts below!
Tim Manolis says "This is a very nice picture of a female Blue-eyed Darner (Aeshna multicolor), probably the most common and widespread Aeshna in California, at least west of the Cascade/Sierra crest (though it is also common in the mountains and on the East Slope). The shape of the cerci and lack of blue on the face, eyes, etc., tell you it is a female and the shape of the "T-spot" atop the frons identify the species. In addition, A. multicolor is common in September whereas A. californica is virtually unknown at that season. Aeshna mixta is not even found anywhere in North America, let alone in California. Other Aeshna that might be found in San Luis Obispo County are Aeshna walkeri, Aeshna umbrosa perhaps, and, unlikely but not entirely impossible, Aeshna palmata and Aeshna interrupta (the latter two species could occur in the mountains)." Kathy Biggs introduced me to Tim.
Kathy Biggs
has an
excel chart (version provided to me
on 1-25-06 is copied here with permission) with the species known
from this area.
If you don't own Microsoft Excel, you can still view this file - just
Download the free Microsoft Excel Viewer 2003.
Be sure to contact
Kathy Biggs for the latest version - see also
http://www.sonic.net/dragonfly/ and
http://southwestdragonflies.net/ for sightings and statistics... these
people seem to be the experts in this field.
Kathy's link to this page.
My earlier incorrect tentative identification
was: California Darner?
Rhinoaeschna californica (Is the above a
male or a female?)
1st guess:
http://www.sonic.net/~bigsnest/Pond/dragons/darners.html
describes the
California Darner
Rhinoaeschna
aka Aeshna
californica
California
distribution map flight period: early, February - August; very
early flight date can be diagnostic.
Backup guess:
Aeshna mixta
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeshna_mixta
says The Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) is with its length of 63 mm
one of the smaller species of hawker
dragonflies.
The species prefers still or slow-flowing water and can tolerate brackish sites.
The flight period is from July to the end of October. Is this is
a confirming identification photo ?. (Is the Migrant Hawker even
found in Central California??)
Help requested from
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalOdes/
Is this a California Darner (Male. Female?) I said
if you can identify this specimen please send
an e-mail to Mike Baird mike at mikebaird.com
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