Aeshna caerulea
• English name: Azure Hawker
• German name: Alpen-Mosaikjungfer
• French name: Aeschne azurée
• Dutch name: Azuurglazenmaker
• Swedish name: Fjällmosaikslända
• Norwegian name: Fjelløyenstikker
• Finnish name: Pohjanukonkorento
• Danish name: Azurblå mosaikguldsmed
• Italian name: Dragone azzurro
• Czech name: šídlo horské
• Slovenian name: Šotna deva
• Bulgarian name: N/A
Aeshna caerulea
Not present
Present before 1990
Present after 1990
Present before and after 1990
Present after 2015
Map data based on J.-P. Boudot & V. J. Kalkman (eds.),
Atlas of the European Dragonflies and Damselflies
| General | ➤ a large species which occurs in northern Scotland, Scandinavia and, at high altitudes, in central Europe | |
| Classification | • suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Aeshnidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern | |
| Scientific name | • Aeshna caerulea (Ström, 1783) | |
| Name genus | • Aeshna: of uncertain origin | |
| Name species | • caerulea: from Lat. caeruleus, -a, -um = sky blue ⇒ for the blue spots on the male's abdomen | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • bog pools and swamps | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 54-64 mm; hindwing: 37-41 mm | |
| Notes | • for a Hawker: medium-sized; about the same size as A. affinis, A. isoceles, A. mixta and Brachytron pratense | |
| • tends to bask on light-coloured surfaces (trees, bare rocks, etc.) | ||
| • the colour of the abdominal spots may vary depending on the ambient temperature | ||
| • aeshnids are 'fliers': they spend a lot of time on the wing and seldom hang up for a rest | ||
| Both sexes | Thorax | ➤ the thorax is brown with two narrow, pale, wavy bands on the side |
| ➤ the antehumeral stripe is weak, short and pale | ||
| Male | Abdomen | • the abdomen is black with large blue spots dorsally |
| Female | Abdomen | • the abdomen is brown with large pale spots dorsally |
| Photographs | • all of our photos below were made in northern Finland and northern Italy |
LineDrawing: the male's appendages in dorsal and lateral view.
