The Dragonflies
(Insecta: Odonata)
of the Columbia Basin, British Columbia:
Field Surveys, Collections Development and Public Education
Table
of Contents
Return to Family Aeshnidae
Anax Leach
Four species of this cosmopolitan genus live in North
America, but only Anax junius reaches Canada from the south.
It is one of our largest dragonflies, with a wingspan of almost
12 cm. The thorax of the adult is unmarked and green, unlike the
striped sides of Aeshna species.
Anax junius (Drury)
Green Darner
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Provincial Status
CDC rank: S5
Uncommon across the southern half of the province; most often encountered
in the extreme south. Columbia-Kootenay
Distribution
The only specimen collected is from the Creston marshes on 21 June
1998. (see Appendix 3). There are two
sight records, one at Creston marshes on 22 June 1998 (Richard Cannings)
and one at Echoes Lakes near Skookumchuck on 14 September 1999 (Dean
Nicholson).
Global Distribution
Southern British Columbia east to Nova Scotia; south throughout
all the USA, northern Mexico and the Caribbean. (Bick and Mauffray
2000). Faunal element: Austral; also in parts of Asia and Oceania
(see Appendix 2).
Biological Information
A. junius develops
in warm marshes and ponds at low elevations in the southern valleys
of British Columbia. In southern Canada, it apparently has two populations.
One evidently migrates, with immigrants moving north in the spring
and their offspring flying south in August and September. Other populations
of A. junius are resident. Specimen and sight records in British
Columbia range from 29 April to 14 September.
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