Aeshna, or the mosaic darners, is a genus of dragonflies from the family Aeshnidae. Species within this genus are generally known as "hawkers" (Old World) or "darners" (New World). Description These are relatively large dragonflies. Their thoraces and abdomens are brown in color, with blue or yellow stripes or spots on the thorax, and yellow, blue or green spots on the abdomen. Natalia von Ellenrieder's 2003 paper demonstrated that the Holarctic and Neotropical species placed in this genus did not share a common ancestor, and proposed the latter be placed in the genus Rhionaeschna. The name Aeshna was coined by the Danish entomologist Fabricius in the 18th century. The name may have resulted from a printer's error in spelling the Greek Aechma, "a spear". The spelling Aeschna has been intermittently used over a period of time, but is now abandoned for the original name Aeshna. However, derived genus names (such as Rhionaeschna) retain the 'sch' spelling, as this is how they were first cited. Species Many species formerly included in Aeshna have been split into other genera, including Afroaeschna, Andaeschna, Pinheyschna, Rhionaeschna, and Zosteraeschna. The genus Aeshna includes these species: Aeshna affinis – southern migrant hawker, blue-eyed hawker †Aeshna andancensis Aeshna athalia Aeshna caerulea – azure hawker Aeshna canadensis – Canada darner Aeshna clepsydra – mottled darner Aeshna constricta – lance-tipped darner Aeshna crenata – Siberian hawker Aeshna cyanea – blue hawker, southern hawker Aeshna eremita – lake darner Aeshna frontalis Aeshna grandis – brown hawker Aeshna interrupta – variable darner Aeshna isoceles – Norfolk Hawker Aeshna juncea – common hawker, sedge darner, moorland hawker Aeshna mixta – migrant hawker Aeshna palmata – paddle-tailed darner Aeshna persephone – Persephone's darner Aeshna petalura Aeshna septentrionalis – azure darner Aeshna serrata – Baltic hawker Aeshna shennong Aeshna sitchensis – zigzag darner Aeshna subarctica – bog hawker, subarctic darner Aeshna tuberculifera – black-tipped darner Aeshna umbrosa – shadow darner Aeshna vercanica Aeshna verticalis – green-striped darner Aeshna viridis – green hawker Aeshna walkeri – Walker's darner Aeshna williamsoniana – Williamson's darner References External links Aeshna, BugGuide Corbet, P. S. 1999. Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA, 829pp. von Ellenrieder, N., 2003. A synopsis of the Neotropical species of 'Aeshna' Fabricius: the genus Rhionaeschna Förster (Odonata: Aeshnidae). - Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 146 (1): 67-207. Aeshnidae Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius Anisoptera genera