Family AESHNIDAE - Hawker Dragonflies
- Yellow Emperor Dragonfly, wingspan 105mm
Members in this family are commonly known as Hawk Dragonflies. They are usually large in size, with body length 50-100 mm and wings span 80-150 mm. They are either blue, green, brown or yellow in colour with black markings. Their compound eyes are broadly confluent at the midline of the head. Their wings are always clear.
They are strong fliers, can be found long distance from water. Most species spend most of the time flying and hunting for prey, seldom rest during the day time. When rest, they are usually in a vertical position, with body hanging downwards. Females oviposit in water plants or floating wood above or below water.
- Larval exuviaes of Hawker Dragonflies, length 40mm
- Yellow Emperor Dragonfly
- Hemianax papuensis, Subfamily Aeshninae, body length 65mm, wingspan 105mm
- This is a very large dragonfly. They never stop flying over the pond. During a sunny summer day, you will always see a Yellow Emperor flying over any piece of flash water in Brisbane. It is usually the largest dragonfly on the water and will chase away any flying object on its path. The dragonfly is pale yellow in colour with grey pattern on the body. At the end of its abdomen there is the yellow spot as the 'tail light'. Click here for more information on Yellow Emperor Dragonflies.
- Unicorn Darner
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- Austroaeschna unicornis, Subfamily Brachytroninae, female body length 50mm, male body length 75mm
- This dragonfly seems never rest, spend most of the time flying over the pond. Sometimes it fly and stay still in the air in front of me. The pictures are taken on a pond along the Bulimba Creek in Wishart. Females are invariably shorter/stouter than males. Click here for more information and pictures.
- Coastal Evening Darner
- Telephlebia tryoni, Subfamily Brachytroninae, body length 75mm, wingspan 95mm
- The Coastal Evening Darner dragonfly are brown in colour, with white strips on the thorax. The wings are clean with all front edges marked with brown bands. The pterostigmas are creamy white in colour. The dragonflies fly spend most of the time hanging vertically within plants. They fly a few meters away when disturbed. They fly slowly and not in the way you may expect from other dragonflies. More information and pictures please enter the Coastal Evening Darners page.
