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Aeshnidae
| Description | The insect family Aeshnidae, sometimes called aeshnids, comprises the hawkers (or darners in North America). They are the largest dragonflies found in North America and Europe and are among the largest dragonflies on the planet. This family represents also the fastest flying dragonflies of the order of the dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata). From Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeshnidae, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source Data |
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| Rank | family | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxonomy (GBIF,PBDB) | Life : Animalia : Arthropoda : Insecta : Odonata : Aeshnidae | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxonomic Status (GBIF) | accepted | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification (PBDB,GBIF) |
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| Common Name | darner dragonfly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scientific Name | Aeshnidae | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opinions (PBDB) |
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| Status (PBDB) | extant | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxon Size (PBDB) | 102 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Extant Size (PBDB) | 26 (25%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First Recorded Appearance | 151 - 145 Ma Late Jurassic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Environment | freshwater,terrestrial (based on Odonata) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Motility | fast-moving (based on Odonata) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vision | well-developed (based on Odonata) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diet | carnivore, insectivore (based on Odonata) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reproduction | dispersal=water (based on Odonata) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taphonomy | chitin (based on Odonata) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Primary Reference (PBDB) | J. F. Zhang. 1989. Fossil Insects From Shanwang, Shandong, China | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common Name(s) | Darner Dragonfly, Darners, Mosaiksländor, Mosaiktrollsländor, Glazenmakers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeshnidae |
External Images
Fossil Distribution
Subtaxa
| Name | Status | Common Name(s) | Fossil Occurrences | Oldest | Youngest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aeshninae subfamily | listed (PBDB) | 57 | 151 Ma Late Jurassic | 0 Ma Extant | |
| Brachytroninae subfamily | listed (PBDB) | 3 | 38.0 Ma Eocene | 0 Ma Extant | |
| Gynacanthinae subfamily | listed (PBDB) | 6 | 38.0 Ma Eocene | 0 Ma Extant | |
| Acanthaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Aeschnophlebia genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 3 | 38.0 Ma Eocene | 0 Ma Extant | |
| Aeshna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Afroaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Agyrtacantha genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Alloaeschna âśť genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 5 | 61.7 Ma Paleocene | 61.7 Ma Paleocene | |
| Allopetalia genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 0 Ma Extant | |||
| Amphiaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Anaciaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 0 Ma Extant | |||
| Anax genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Andaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Antipodophlebia genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Austroaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Austrogynacantha genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Austrophlebia genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Basiaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 59.2 Ma Paleocene | 0 Ma Extant | |
| Boyeria genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 7.25 Ma Miocene | 0 Ma Extant | |
| Brachytron genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Caliaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Castoraeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Cephalaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Coryphaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Cretalloaeschna âśť genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 145 Ma Late Jurassic | 145 Ma Late Jurassic | |
| Dendroaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Eoshna âśť genus | listed (PBDB) | 1 | 56.0 Ma Paleocene | 56.0 Ma Paleocene | |
| Epiaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 9 | 47.8 Ma Eocene | 0 Ma Extant | |
| Gomphaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 6 | 129 Ma Early/Lower Cretaceous | 0 Ma Extant | |
| Gynacantha genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 12.7 Ma Miocene | 0 Ma Extant | |
| Gynacanthaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Heliaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 23.0 Ma Miocene | 0 Ma Extant | |
| Hemianax genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 0 Ma Extant | |||
| Huncoaeshna âśť genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 56.0 Ma Paleocene | 56.0 Ma Paleocene | |
| Idemlinea âśť genus | listed (PBDB) | 1 | 56.0 Ma Paleocene | 56.0 Ma Paleocene | |
| Indaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Kvacekia âśť genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 33.9 Ma Oligocene | 33.9 Ma Oligocene | |
| Limnetron genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Linaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Merlax âśť genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 20.0 Ma Miocene | 20.0 Ma Miocene | |
| Nasiaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 0 Ma Extant | |||
| Necracantha âśť genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 3 | 28.1 Ma Oligocene | 28.1 Ma Oligocene | |
| Neuraeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Notoaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Oligoaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 9 | 38.0 Ma Eocene | 0 Ma Extant | |
| Oplonaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 2 | 23.0 Ma Miocene | 0 Ma Extant | |
| Oreaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Palaeaeschna âśť genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 3 | 130 Ma Early/Lower Cretaceous | 129 Ma Early/Lower Cretaceous | |
| Parabaissaeshna âśť genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 56.0 Ma Paleocene | 56.0 Ma Paleocene | |
| Periaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Petaliaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Pinheyschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Planaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Plattycantha genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Polycanthagyna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Racenaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Remartinia genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Rhionaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Sarasaeschana genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Sarasaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Spinaeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Staurophlebia genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Telephlebia genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Tetracanthagyna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Triacanthagyna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Valdaeshna âśť genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 3 | 136 Ma Early/Lower Cretaceous | 130 Ma Early/Lower Cretaceous | |
| Ypshna âśť genus | listed (PBDB) | 3 | 56.0 Ma Paleocene | 56.0 Ma Paleocene | |
| Zosteraeschna genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Alopetalia europaea species | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
Obsolete Names
| Name | Source | Taxon Rank | Taxonomy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aeschnidae | GBIF | family | Animalia : Arthropoda : Insecta : Odonata : Aeschnidae |
| Oplonaeschna vectensis Cockerell & Andrews, 1916 | GBIF | species | Animalia : Arthropoda : Insecta : Odonata : Aeshnidae : Oplonaeschna vectensis |
Synonymy List
| Year | Name and Author |
|---|---|
| 1815 | Aeshnidae Leach p. 126 |
| 1916 | Oplonaeschna vectensis Cockerell and Andrews p. 89 figs. 2-4 |
| 1918 | Aeshnidae Tillyard |
| 1982 | Aeschnidae Hong p. 61 |
| 1986 | Oplonaeschna vectensis Wighton and Wilson p. 508 |
| 1988 | Aeshnidae Jarzembowski p. 764 |
| Year | Name and Author |
|---|---|
| 1989 | Aeshnidae Zhang p. 414 |
| 1992 | Aeshnidae Carpenter p. 81 |
| 1993 | Aeshnidae Nel and MartĂnez-Delclòs |
| 1994 | Oplonaeschna vectensis Nel et al. p. 174 |
| 2007 | Aeshnidae Bechly |
| 2010 | Aeshnidae Petrulevicius et al. p. 271 |
References
Data courtesy of: PBDB: The Paleobiology Database, Creative Commons CC-BY licenced. , GBIF: the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, various licences, iDigBio, various licences, and EOL: The Encyclopedia of Life (Open Data Public Domain). Because fossils are made of minerals too!
