Wandering glider

January 16, 2016, pantala flavescens again seen in Gran Canaria.

Vagrant emperor

Hemianax or Anax ephippiger is a dragonfly that arrives from the African Continent to Canary Islands every year around December or January, helped by the favourable winds from the Sahara. Is one of the biggest dragonflies found here, with a lenght of 7 cm.

It looks very similar to Anax imperator in terms of shape and markings on its abdomen, but not in colour, its head has a yellowish colour, with a black line on the frons. males have a characteristic blue "saddle" mark on the first abdominal segment, the rest are yellowish, pterostigmas are, in general, yellow as well.

When laying eggs they form "tandems" where males catch females by their head, then they fly to the shore of the water sources and stop on a plant or branch without separating, and finally the female fix their eggs to it.

Gracias a Pablo Martinez-Darve por la traducción al inglés de esta entrada.

Dragonflies of Canary Islands

All photos taken in Gran Canaria.

Eleven different species:

- Anax imperator (AI)

- Anax parthenope (AP)

- Anax ephippiger (hemianax ephippiger) (AE)

- Crocothemis erythraea (CE)

- Ischnura sahariensis (IS)
- Ischnura senegalensis (ISG)

- Orthetrum chrysostigma (OC)
. Orthetrum trinacria (OT) *

- Sympetrum fonscolombii (SF)

- Sympetrum nigrifemur (SN)

- Trithemis arteriosa (TA)

- Zygonyx torridus (ZT)

Species on islands:

                                 AI   AP  AE  CE  IS  OC  SF  SN  TA  ZT  ISG OT *

Gran Canaria......      x     x      x     x     x    x      x     x     x     x             x

Fuerteventura.....       x    x             x     x     x      x                                 x

Lanzarote...........      x     x                   x             x

Tenerife..............      x     x      x     x    x     x      x     x     x     x       x

La Palma............      x                   x           x      x                            x

La Gomera.........      x                   x           x      x     x     x     x

El Hierro............      x                                x                    x

ANAX IMPERATOR ( Emperor Dragonfly or Blue Emperor )

ANAX PARTHENOPE (  Lesser Emperor  )

ANAX EPHIPPIGER  ( The Vagrant Emperor )

CROCOTHEMIS ERYTHRAEA  ( Common Scarlet-darter, Scarlet Darter, Scarlet Dragonfly)

ISCHNURA SAHARIENSIS 

ORTHETRUM CHRYSOSTIGMA  ( The Epaulet Skimmer )

SYMPETRUM FONSCOLOMBII  ( Red-veined darter )

SYMPETRUM NIGRIFEMUR  ( The Island Darter )

TRITHEMIS ARTERIOSA  (  Red-veined Dropwing )

ZYGONYX TORRIDUS  ( Ringed Cascader )

ORTHETRUM TRINACRIA (The Long Skimmer)

* Actualizado a 28 de Junio de 2019

No pictures own

ISCHNURA SENEGALENSIS (Common bluetail)