Zuidelijke glazenmaker
(Aeshna affinis)

The Blue-Eyed Hawker is a relatively small aeshnid. It's a Southern European species which seems to be gradually extending its range Northwards. Aeshna affinis is particularly associated with lakes and wetlands which dry up in the course of the summer. Our most productive site for this species, the Lago della Rotonda in Basilicata in the South of Italy, holds a hundreds-strong population. Apart from its choice of habitat, the species' distinguishing features include the male's bright blue eyes and black-and-blue abdomen (brown and yellow in the female), the thinly-striped yellow sides of the thorax, the male's hovering flight, and the species' habit of ovipositing in tandem.

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