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Species Details
Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum Read more about this collection »
Common NameVariable Darner
SeasonalityJune to October in British Columbia (Paulson, 2009).
IdentificationHalf blue and half yellow stripes on lateral sides of thorax narrow or broken into spots as the scientific name suggests (see lateral image).Most other congeneric species (e.g. A. eremita and A. juncea) have more prominent and unbroken thoracic stripes (Paulson, 2009).
Scientific Name
Aeshna interrupta
Common Name
Variable Darner
Habitat
Lakes and ponds with vegetation and open water (Hutchings and Halstead, 2011).
Seasonality
June to October in British Columbia (Paulson, 2009).
Identification
Half blue and half yellow stripes on lateral sides of thorax narrow or broken into spots as the scientific name suggests (see lateral image).Most other congeneric species (e.g. A. eremita and A. juncea) have more…
Half blue and half yellow stripes on lateral sides of thorax narrow or broken into spots as the scientific name suggests (see lateral image).Most other congeneric species (e.g. A. eremita and A. juncea) have more prominent and unbroken thoracic stripes (Paulson, 2009).
Life History
Females oviposit on floating vegetation. Nymphs are aquatic predators among vegetation. Adults are terrestrial and hunt insects in flight (Cannings, 2002). Adults are capable of migrating in large numbers across long…
Females oviposit on floating vegetation. Nymphs are aquatic predators among vegetation. Adults are terrestrial and hunt insects in flight (Cannings, 2002). Adults are capable of migrating in large numbers across long distances (Catling and Kostiuk, 2008).
Conservation
Common (Paulson, 2009).
Diet Info
Both adults and nymphs are predatory (Cannings, 2002).
Range
Spans southern Canada from British Columbia to Newfoundland. Found as far south as Minnesota and New Jersey (Paulson, 2009).
Notes
Most common of the mosaic darners (Aeshna) on the Canadian prairies (Paulson, 2009). The common name Variable Darner comes from the variability in its thoracic stripe shapes being either narrow or spotted (Cannings, 2002).
Most common of the mosaic darners (Aeshna) on the Canadian prairies (Paulson, 2009). The common name Variable Darner comes from the variability in its thoracic stripe shapes being either narrow or spotted (Cannings, 2002).
Citation
Page Citation for Aeshna interrupta
Page Citation
"Species Details - Aeshna interrupta, University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/g/2-22096/9-426518. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
References
Author
Hutchings, G. and Halstead, D.
Title
Dragonflies & Damselflies in the Hand: An Identification Guide to Boreal Forest Odonates in Saskatchewan and Adjacent Regions.
Publication Date
2011
Pages
158 pp
Author
Paulson, D. R.
Title
Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West.
Publication Date
2009
Pages
535 pp
Author
Cannings, R. A.
Title
Introducing the dragonflies of British Columbia and the Yukon.
Publication Date
2002
Pages
96 pp
Author
Catling, P. M. and Kostiuk, B.
Title
Massive road kill and migration of variable darners, Aeshna interrupta lineata, in southern Manitoba.
Publication Date
2008
Series Title
Argia
Volume
20
Pages
4-5
Specimen Information
There are 22 specimens of this Species.
UASM340776 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Red Deer
Collected ByWhitehouse, F. C.
Date Collected2010-07-13
UASM340777 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Red Deer
Collected ByWhitehouse, F. C.
Date Collected2010-07-19
UASM340778 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Devon
Collected ByGriffiths, G. C. D.
Date Collected1980-01-07
UASM340779 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Edmonton
Collected ByAcorn, J.
Date Collected1976-06-28
UASM340780 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Nordegg
Collected ByStrickland, E. H.
Date Collected1926-07-21
UASM340781 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Gull Lake
Collected ByAcorn, J.
Date Collected1976-07-15
UASM340782 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Blackfalds
Collected ByAcorn, J.
Date Collected1982-08-09
UASM340783 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Gull Lake
Collected ByAcorn, J.
Date Collected1976-07-15
UASM340784 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Waterton Lakes National Park, Waterton Park
Collected BySperling, F.
Date Collected1981-08-19
UASM340785 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Joffre
Collected ByAcorn, J.
Date Collected1982-07-10
UASM340786 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Blackfalds
Collected ByAcorn, J.
Date Collected1982-08-09
UASM340787 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Waterton Lakes National Park, Waterton Park
Collected BySperling, F.
Date Collected1981-08-19
UASM340788 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Edmonton
Collected ByAcorn, J.
Date Collected1976-08
UASM340789 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Alix
Collected ByAcorn, J.
Date Collected1980-09-10
UASM340790 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Edmonton
Collected ByAcorn, J.
Date Collected1980-07-01
UASM340791 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Waterton Lakes National Park, Waterton Park
Collected ByMail, G. A.
Date Collected1925-07-19
UASM340792 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Wabamun
Collected ByStrickland, E. H.
Date Collected1984-09-01
UASM340793 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Joffre
Collected ByAcorn, J.
Date Collected1982-07-20
UASM340794 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Blackfalds
Collected ByAcorn, J.
Date Collected1982-08-09
UASM340795 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Edmonton
Collected ByZoct, T.
Date Collected1957-07-02
UASM343885 - Aeshna interrupta
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Duchess
Collected ByHornung, J. P.; Rice, C. L.
Date Collected1999-07-03