ENY 3005 Family Identification
Odonata: Aeshnidae
Pronunciation: AESH-ni-dee
Common name: darners
The four dragonfly families in the superfamily Aeshnoidea are
all characterized by:
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unmatched antenodal crossveins
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triangles of the front and hind wing being of similar shape.
Species in the family Aeshnidae are separated from those in the other 3
families by:
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compound eyes touching one another on top of the head [not so in
Petaluridae and Gomphidae] and
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having a brace vein extending from the proximal end of the stigma
[absent in Cordulegastridae].
References:
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Pages 20-38 in S. W. Dunkle. 1989. Dragonflies of the Florida peninsula,
Bermuda and the Bahamas. Gainesville, FL: Scientific Publishers. 154 p.
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Pages 70-71 in D. J. Borror and R. E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to the
Insects. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
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Page 74 in R. G. Bland and H. E. Jaques. 1978. How to Know the Insects,
3rd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Co. 409 p.
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Page 194 in D. J. Borror, C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. An Introduction
to the Study of Insects, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing.
875 p.
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Page 360 in H. V. Daly, J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction
to Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 680 p.
Links to other web sites
Families of Odonata: Petaluridae, Gomphidae,
Aeshnidae, Cordulegastridae, Macromiidae, Corduliidae,
Libellulidae, Calopterygidae,
Lestidae, Protoneuridae, and Coenagrionidae.
Return to ENY 3005 Index to Orders
Prepared by John L. Foltz,
University of Florida, Dept of Entomology & Nematology, 4 Oct 1998.
Modified 12 June 2001.
Digital image courtesy of Forrest
L. Mitchell, Texas A&M Univ; text added by J. L. Foltz.