Hairy Hawker (Brachytron pratense)
• English name: Hairy Hawker
• German name: Früher Schilfjäger
• French name: Aeschne printanière
• Dutch name: Glassnijder
• Swedish name: Tidig mosaikslända
• Norwegian name: Vårøyenstikker
• Finnish name: Karvaukonkorento
• Danish name: Håret mosaikguldsmed
• Italian name: Dragone peloso
• Czech name: šídlo luční
• Slovenian name: Zgodnji trstničar
• Bulgarian name: Пролетен пъстролет
Hairy Hawker
(Brachytron pratense)
Map data based on J.-P. Boudot & V. J. Kalkman (eds.),
Atlas of the European Dragonflies and Damselflies
| General | • a large species which occurs mainly in central and eastern Europe; much rarer in the south and the far north | |
| Classification | • suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Aeshnidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern | |
| Scientific name | • Brachytron pratense (Müller, 1764) | |
| Name genus | • Brachytron: from Grk. βραχύνω = to abbreviate +; ἦτρον = abdomen ⇒ in allusion to the abdomen being short and stout | |
| Name species | • pratense: from Lat. pratensis, -is, -e = found in meadows; [pratum = meadow] ⇒ for the supposed typical habitat of the species | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • still or slow-flowing waters with a rich vegetation | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 54-63 mm; hindwing: 34-37 mm | |
| Notes | • for a Hawker: medium-sized; about the same size as Aeshna caerulea, A. affinis, A. isoceles and A. mixta | |
| • typically one of the earliest-flying Hawkers | ||
| • aeshnids are 'fliers': they spend a lot of time on the wing and seldom hang up for a rest | ||
| Both sexes | Thorax | • the side of the thorax is green (male) or yellow (female), with bold dark lines |
| Abdomen | ➤ S1 bears a single green or yellow dot, which sets the species apart from all other aeshnids | |
| Wings | ➤ the pterostigma is very long and thin | |
| Male | Thorax | • the top of the thorax is brown, with a green antehumeral stripe |
| Abdomen | • the top of the abdomen is black, with blue spots | |
| • the abdomen is not waisted (i.e. constricted) | ||
| Female | Thorax | • the top of the thorax is brown, with a heavily-reduced yellow antehumeral stripe |
| Abdomen | • the top of the abdomen is black, with small yellow spots | |
| Wings | • immature females may have orange-tinted wings | |
| Photographs | • nearly all of our photos below were made in the Netherlands |
LineDrawing: the male's abdomen in dorsal view, and the male's and female's head, thorax and abdomen in lateral view.
Hairy Hawker (Brachytron pratense)
Male abdomen in dorsal view
Drawing by Ruth Ilka Nüß
© 2021 Lehmann & Nüß and DragonflyPix.com
Hairy Hawker (Brachytron pratense)
Male head, thorax and abdomen in lateral view
Drawing by Ruth Ilka Nüß
© 2021 Lehmann & Nüß and DragonflyPix.com
Hairy Hawker (Brachytron pratense)
Female head, thorax and abdomen in lateral view
Drawing by Ruth Ilka Nüß
© 2021 Lehmann & Nüß and DragonflyPix.com
