Adversaeschna brevistyla (Rambur, 1842)

BLUE-SPOTTED HAWKER

Family Aeshnidae

A male Blue-spotted Hawker near the Blicks River Dundurrabin NSW on November 11th 2011.

Blue-spotted Hawkers are large dragonflies more often seen on the wing than resting. If you can get a good look at them while they are flying over still water, you can recognize them by the two distinct transverse stripes on the sides of the synthorax. Some of the Darners (Telephlebiidae) also have transverse stripes on their synthoraxes but do not usually fly over still water. I have sometimes seen, on partly cloudy days, Blue-spotted Hawkers hanging on fences, grass or trees.

A male Blue-spotted Hawker flying at Deer Vale NSW on February 20th 2012.

Side view of a female Blue-spotted Hawker at Red Rock NSW on January 10th 2012.

Side view of the anal appendages of a female Blue-spotted Hawker.

A female Blue-spotted Hawker at Deer Vale NSW on January 16th 2013.

This immature male blue-spotted Hawker has not developed the blue spots yet. Note the angled hind wing bases and the narrow 3-celled anal triangle circled in red.

Notice the rounded wing bases of this female Blue-spotted Hawker at Deer Vale NSW on January 16th 2013.

The male and female blue-spotted Hawkers differ in the shape of their wing bases which are angular in the male and rounded in the female. Abdominal segment 3 is much more narrowed in the male than the female as well.

The male appendages are less than 2x the length of segment 10 (measurements relative only).

Dorsal view of female appendages.

A Blue-spotted Hawker laying eggs in a dam at Deer Vale on February 26th 2014.

All the Blue-spotted Hawkers I have seen laying eggs have not been accompanied by males.