Anax empereur (Anax imperator)
• English name: Blue Emperor
• German name: Grosse Königslibelle
• French name: Anax empereur
• Dutch name: Grote keizerlibel
• Swedish name: Blå kejsartrollslända
• Norwegian name: N/A
• Finnish name: Keisarikorento
• Danish name: Stor kejserguldsmed
• Italian name: Imperatore comune
• Czech name: šídlo královské
• Slovenian name: Veliki spremljevalec
• Bulgarian name: Царски пъстролет
Anax empereur (Anax imperator)
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 very large species, common and widespread throughout Europe but still rare in the very north | |
| Classification | • suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Aeshnidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern | |
| Scientific name | • Anax imperator Leach, 1815 | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • well-vegetated ponds and lakes | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 66-84 mm; hindwing: 45-52 mm | |
| Notes | • the female oviposits on her own, unguarded by the male, on floating vegetation | |
| • aeshnids are 'fliers': they spend a lot of time on the wing and seldom hang up for a rest | ||
| Both sexes | Head | ➤ the black mark on top of the frons is pentagonal in shape |
| Thorax | • the thorax is typically apple green, with only the thinnest of dark lines on the side and without an antehumeral stripe | |
| Male | Head | • the eyes are blue-green |
| Abdomen | ➤ the abdomen is light blue, with a thick dark mid-dorsal line | |
| Female | Head | • the eyes are green-yellow |
| Abdomen | • the abdomen is light blue, pale green or beige, with a thick dark mid-dorsal line | |
| Wings | • the wings may have a suffused orange tint | |
| Photographs | • nearly all of our photos below were made in Tuscany and the south of Italy |
LineDrawing: the male's abdomen in dorsal and lateral view, the male's appendages in dorsal view, and the female's abdomen in dorsal view.
