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Species account

Blue-eyed Hawker (Aeshna affinis) Vander Linden (1823) Hawkers (Aeshnidae) BEHA 24798

Sydlig Mosaikguldsmed (dk) Esna Zafiro (es) Klarblå Mosaikslända (se) Synonyms: Southern Migrant Hawker (gb)

Measurements:

To 57-66mm Ab 39-49mm Hw 37-42mm

Flight period:

EU n

EU s

Identification:

The mature female shows fine yellow paired spots distally on S3-7 that are normally missing on the young.

Apparently the males have a small pointed tap at the bottom of the side on S2 that I haven't seen on other hawkers.

Similar species:

Life stages:

The eggs are overwintering. The larvae hatch the following spring and develop during 0-1 year, meaning that when conditions are right the majority develop to imago in the same season.

Distribution:

Most of Europe; British isles only SE corner; Absent Fennoscandinavia and Baltic states. Also present NW Africa, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia east to Tajikistan. In Denmark mainly seen in the eastern part: Sjælland, Amager.

Habitat:

Behavior:

Status:

LC(global) LC(eu) NA(dk). First seen in 2006 in Denmark, accidentally. Recent years, 2022-2023, have showed many records in the eastern part of the country including parring and egg-dropping, why it is to be an official Danish breeding species. With the climate change it is expected that the species will become even more common. Strangely enough, it has still not been seen in Jylland. Many on Amager.

Comment:

Has reached Iceland once in 2018 (found dead) - during the exceptionally hot N Europe that year.

	2188 (1 photos) 2023-08-13 Hvidovre Strandenge, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Just because it is the first photo of a female I've got. Two tandems present but they disappeared shortly after I showed up. LAK had them for a longer period and got very good photos.
	2191 (15 photos) 2023-08-14 Hvidovre Strandenge, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Mating wheel. Finally managed to get the female. We did not touch the animals, only tried to remove blocking straws, which unfortunately did provoke them to move to a new perch. I like the snaky way the male holds the female in flight... It's funny that this spot appears to be the only one with breeding success in Denmark, and this despite of the species having been reported from several other places. By myself on Amager, inclusive. They all appear to have left again. And why this spot is so much better than others also remains a mystery. Same as this female and this male.
	1010 (4 photos) 2022-07-29 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ At the ramp leading to the bike/pedestrian bridge crossing the highway, along Fasanskovvejen. I had strayed off track and was forced to follow the fence along the highway because of the water-filled channel running along Fasanskovvejen. Just below the ramp, out of the southern wind, this hawker suddenly took flight in front of me. Migrants and Blues are present now, but somehow it looked different. The colors were better for the Blue Emperor, but it looked too small and when in turned around and started patrolling low, I could see that it looked interesting with the blue eye. It wouldn't sit, but kept flying in front of me, and at one point it accelerated and flew up in the air, where another animal had arrived. They looked the same size, but I couldn't get a hold on them before they disappeared. But then the first one, assuming, came back and started patrolling again, and I got these photos to confirm this new species for me! The hawker pattern on the abdomen, together with an all-green thorax with narrow black lines on the side plus the strong blue eye is what make it this species. It's a species that's spreading north with the climate changes, why it is not a major rarity, but still, it's cool to find one. And even more so here, because from last year I had programmed my scouting brain for another habitat, pond with strong vegetation around it. This was at the edge of a 'sedge-field' that had dried out. But there is no actual pond or water body near here. I'm sure the animal was resting, when I flushed it, and it probably returned to sit somewhere, when I lost it. And with that, I'm speculating whether it will be there tomorrow or not. Last year the two animals I tried to twitch only stayed for one day, so I'm not expecting anything, but will give it a try tomorrow again. Did so, but it was not to be found. I included the first photo because it superficially reminds me of a Lesser Emperor with the dark thorax and clear blue S1-2. Rare
	1011 (6 photos) 2022-07-31 Røsnæs-halvøen, Denmark Imago ♂ The tip of the peninsula. Mature, and my second in two days of this rare species in Denmark. This one was patrolling on the shelter side of a small patch of sedges at the edge of the open-bordered lake south of the road just below Naturskolen. There were quite a few Blue Emperors in the air too, but they tended to stay over the water, while this animal stayed strictly on the land side of the sedges. The one I saw the other day, apparently also preferred to stay out of the wind, why this might be a pattern with the species. Knowing that I'm able to find two animals of this rare species in two days, at very distant localities, and according to naturbasen.dk no-one else has found any this year, I'm wondering if people overlook them, taking them for blue emperors as they fly around. The behavior is similar and apart from the the very blue eye of the present species, they do look superficially alike, including the custom of letting the rear end of the abdomen hang low in flight (which might be what confuses people). Notice the bluish suffusion on the side of the thorax, a feature of the old male. The animal was still there when I left. Rare
	1081 (4 photos) 2022-08-11 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Granathøj. One was reported earlier this day, and I thought I would go and see if I could get a picture. It was probably the same as the one I had on August 6th, where I didn't get any. First I saw one animal when I arrived, but it disappeared from me soon. That was along the pond next to the hill. Then I circled toward the narrow sw-bound channel and found one there that stayed put and kept patrolling the patch. At one point another dragonfly approached and they started fighting. Briefly, then the intruder flew away. There I got the feeling that they looked very similar, suspecting that two animals were present. And when I went back to the hill, I soon encountered another one patrolling there as well. The question was, if they were different or if the first animal had left the channel to cover this area too. From the photos it definitely looks like they are different animals. Though the pattern of the abdomens look very similar (difficult to judge 100% because of blurriness), the markings on the thorax are certainly different. This one lacks the black spot just outside the front-most black line on the thorax and the dark patch between the black line and the should line is different from what is seen on the other animal. Plus, this present animals shows a whitish paleness to the frons at the corner toward the eye. This is lacking on the other too. Also, it looks like the two are holding their tail consequently different when flying. This one holds it straight, whereas the other one has it hanging a bit, more like the habit of the Blue Emperor. Also, the ends of the appendages are white on this one, and black on the other. See the other one in 1082. With 4, or perhaps 5, animals this year (so far) I must admit to have had my share of the species. Thank you! Rare
	1082 (4 photos) 2022-08-11 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Granathøj. One was reported earlier this day, and I thought I would go and see if I could get a picture. It was probably the same as the one I had on August 6th, where I didn't get any. First I saw one animal when I arrived, but it disappeared from me soon. That was along the pond next to the hill. Then I circled toward the narrow sw-bound channel and found one there that stayed put and kept patrolling the patch. At one point another dragonfly approached and they started fighting. Briefly, then the intruder flew away. There I got the feeling that they looked very similar, suspecting that two animals were present. And when I went back to the hill, I soon encountered another one patrolling there as well. The question was, if they were different or if the first animal had left the channel to cover this area too. From the photos it definitely looks like they are different animals. Though the pattern of the abdomens look very similar (difficult to judge 100% because of blurriness), the markings on the thorax are certainly different. This one has a black spot just outside the front-most black line on the thorax and the dark patch between the black line and the should line is different from what is seen on the other animal. Plus, this present animal doesn't show a whitish paleness to the frons at the corner toward the eye. The other one does. Also, it looks like the two are holding their tail consequently different when flying. The other one holds it straight, whereas this one has it hanging a bit, more like the habit of the Blue Emperor. Also, the ends of the appendages are black on this one, and white on the other. See the other one in 1081. Rare
	1087 (7 photos) 2022-08-13 Søvang, Denmark Imago ♂ Small pool by Aflandshagetårnet. Finally an animal that was easier to approach. I just stopped leisurely at this pond, not really expecting anything. But I might have felt that it looked suited for the species: Small and shallow and drying water surface with narrow fringes of sedges along the edge. Photo 1 I added to give you an idea about what it looks like when first flying by. I mean, both Blue Emperor, Blue Hawker and Migrant Hawker show superficially similar details, especially a bluish eye.
	1089 (3 photos) 2022-08-14 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Nihøjvej x Granatvej. Yet another small waterhole bordered by sedges and drying up. Fourth spot on Amager where I've found the species this year. And just a single male here.
	1090 (2 photos) 2022-08-14 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Granathøj. 2 males present today. Previous days some have seen 3 males and I spoke to Michael Frank Nielsen and Jan Enoksen who mentioned that someone also had seen a female. No reports of this on naturbasen though. I've compared my photos from today and the 11th, and it is certain that the two animals today are different from at least the animal in 1082 of that day. I don't have the right side of 1081, also of that day. Meaning that I've had 3 different males here and possibly a 4th. With the new animal of today, 1089, I've seen 6 different males on Amager so far, and perhaps 7.
	1091 (1 photos) 2022-08-14 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Granathøj. 2 males present today. Previous days some have seen 3 males, and I spoke to Michael Frank Nielsen and Jan Enoksen on site, who mentioned that someone also had seen a female. No reports of this on naturbasen though. I've compared my photos from today and the 11th, and it is certain that the two animals today are different from at least the animal in 1082 of that day. I don't have the right side of 1081, also of that day. Meaning that I've had 3 different males here and possibly a 4th. With the new animal of today, 1089, I've seen 6 different males on Amager so far, and perhaps 7.
	2104 (3 photos) 2023-07-30 Hvidovre Strandenge, Denmark Imago ♂ No 2.
	2105 (3 photos) 2023-07-30 Hvidovre Strandenge, Denmark Imago ♂ No 3.
	2103 (4 photos) 2023-07-30 Hvidovre Strandenge, Denmark Imago ♂ Up to 5 males and 1 female have been seen so far this year at this spot. Maybe they bred here last year. Me and Kim Duus only managed to find 3 males still looking far for a glimpse of the female.
	2110 (8 photos) 2023-08-02 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Granathøj. Back from last year to this spot, as at Hvidovre Strandenge. I found 3 different males and at a time a female attached to a male, which might be one of the 3 or another one, since I wasn't able to relocated the pair after the brief flight view I got of them.
	2111 (3 photos) 2023-08-02 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Granathøj. Scrutinizing the details reveals that 3 males were at play today.
	2112 (3 photos) 2023-08-02 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Granathøj. The first found of todays male trio.
	2190 (7 photos) 2023-08-14 Hvidovre Strandenge, Denmark Imago ♂ One of 3 males seen today. By Duus, I only saw 2. It is the same that eventually hooked up with the female present today. See here. It seemed clear that they had established territories along the wet meadow along the bike lane and sheltered by larger trees. The two I saw constantly were on the wings patrolling for females. At least until noon where they both took a break and could be photographed sitting as well.
	2299 (5 photos) 2023-09-04 Søvang, Denmark Imago ♂ The water hole. Guessing it arrived with the hot weather today. Same behavior as the one I had here last year...Perching most of the time, and only taking flight when disturbed by me or the other dragonflies, especially the Migrant Hawker [Efterårsmosaikguldsmed] also present.
	2300 (5 photos) 2023-09-08 Søvang, Denmark Imago ♂ The water hole. A new compared to the one from the 4th of September, 2299. Only this one found and it stayed closer to the main path and mostly sunning in the sedges in that end of the pond. But took rallies into the air when harassed by me or the other drags. In photo 2 with Migrant Hawker [Efterårs-mosaikguldsmed].
	2965 (4 photos) 2024-07-19 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Granatsø. Had 2 males today. First of the year for me. Photos 1 and 2-4.
	2869 (2 photos) 2024-07-20 Bøtø-skoven, Denmark Imago ♂ South of Forvasken. Mature. At a clearing along a road inside the forest; not where it is normally found, so far, in Denmark, but the behavior of the dragonflies to seek forests to feed and mature is well-known, and we probably can expect to find them in this type of environment much more in the future, as it becomes fully established in the country. With Migrant Hawkers [Efterårs-mosaikguldsmed] flying now too, it would have been more likely to find that species at this site, and some would perhaps have taken i t for a such. But though the two species can appear very similar, it is still my impression that affinis is always more clear in the colors and does look paler in flight, especially the thorax part where the ground color on Migrant is dark.
	2963 (3 photos) 2024-07-21 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Granatsø. Had 4 males today. Maximum by me this year. Here three of them.
	2891 (4 photos) 2024-07-25 Map Amager Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Strandeng syd. Close to the spot where I had a young female on June 29. It was very relaxed, flying forth and back a few times, but preferred to perch. The question remains: Are they local from the small ponds at this spot, or flying in from somewhere else? I just noticed the narrow spine low on the side of S2. Checking the previous animals I have photographed, it looks like a detail that the species structurally possesses, though much larger on this individual than on most of the others I've seen.
	2968 (2 photos) 2024-07-27 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Granatsø. Had 4 males today too. Two shown here.
	2962 (1 photos) 2024-07-27 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Dryas-renden. Spotted by Hawkeye in air among a good number of Migrant Hawkers [Efterårsmosaikguldsmed].
	2947 (5 photos) 2024-08-01 Map Kongelundsområdet, Denmark Imago ♂ NØ-vandhullet. Interesting to find it at this overgrown and hidden water hole inside the mature forest. I visited a few days later, but couldn't find it again, why it might only have been a short-lasting visit. This said, it is probably not unusual to find it in pure forests before maturity, and only being remarkable in my eyes because we have mainly seen them in open habitat the few years they have been present in Denmark. But I also had a female forest-dweller on June 7, in Pinseskoven, why we can probably expect it to show up at this habitat too in the future. It mostly sat like this in the sun, but sallied to catch a prey now and then too.
	2964 (3 photos) 2024-08-02 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-renden. Two males present along the ditch, photo 1-2 and 3. One of them was there the next time I visited as well, but after that they were gone both of them. Opportunistic visitors with zero female encounters probably.
	2967 (4 photos) 2024-08-15 Map Amager Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Strandeng syd. Not the same as 2891
	2966 (3 photos) 2024-08-18 Map Søvang, Denmark Imago ♂ Vandhullet. Nice with an encounter this year at this water hole too. It patrolled steadily and confident close to me at first, but then suddenly it was gone! Probably perched somewhere and probably because of the sudden presence of a Blue Emperor [Stor Kejserguldsmed].
	3030 (2 photos) 2024-08-19 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Granatsø. 2 males present today.The other
	3029 (2 photos) 2024-08-19 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Granatsø. 2 males present today. The other It's funny that I'm not able to find any females now in the prime season. Either they visit very quickly and perhaps at odd hours, or they simply don't prefer this site. I know BN reported some earlier in the season the day after I had been there, but that doesn't count for much.
	3073 (5 photos) 2024-08-24 Søvang, Denmark Imago ♂ Vandhullet. 2 males finally present today. 1: 1-3 2: 4-5
	3071 (9 photos) 2024-08-26 Søvang, Denmark Imago ♂ Vandhullet. 3 males present today; two of them the same as two days earlier. 1: 1-3 2: 4-7 (same as 2 on 24th) 3: 8-9 (same as 1 on 24th)
	3045 (2 photos) 2024-09-02 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Granatsø. Only 1 male present today, and it looks like one of the two I had on August 19, 3030. A dirty-looking animal seen from above, with a smudgy stem to the top-T and likewise spotting on S1.
	2192 (2 photos) 2023-08-14 Hvidovre Strandenge, Denmark Imago ♀ Found it in the same spot where LAK had it yesterday. Difficult to get on to when flying solo. Easy to loose it with the cryptic colors and erratic low flight. Later it matched up with 2190 which can be seen here.
	2820 (4 photos) 2024-06-27 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Svenskeholmvej øst. UPDATE: CORRECTED TO A POSITIVE Blue-eyed Hawker because the thorax pattern fits it very well, and the general appearance and the fact that there have been several observations around. It would after all be much more of a sensation to find a viridis here on the island. So. But I leave the original text, to understand the context. ORIGINAL: Blue-eyed Hawker (A. affinis)[Sydlig Mosaikguldsmed] - Green Hawker (A. viridis) [Grøn Mosaikguldsmed] ? Flying in the open above the road on the border between the forest and open short-grassed fields. No water nearby. I didn't have time to nail it properly, hoping the photos would do the trick, but they are not good enough for me to id it positively. A female of course with two long appendages and the very visible ovipositor. There are a few markings on the side of the otherwise all green thorax and the proximal segments of the abdomen are very uniformly green, the others becoming more checkered toward the tip. This pattern is good for both Southern Hawker and Green Hawker. Southern would be early in Denmark even for this year and Green would be unexpected since it has never been seen on Amager. However, Hot weather today with southern winds could undoubtedly have provoked movements from the south, why I would like it best for an affinis; this also because the main flight period in NC Europe is very much ongoing. And Green being a NE European, and more selective, species it is probably less likely to wander like Southern does. [Lars Johansen mentions that he has experienced Green as a wanderer, especially females]. Both Blue Emperor [Stor Kejserguldsmed] and Blue Hawker [Blå Mosaikguldsmed] are excluded based on size, shapes or patterns - it didn't look big in flight.
	2821 (9 photos) 2024-06-29 Amager Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Strandengen Syd. Young. Not sure, but possibly flushed it from the small pond in photo 9, as I saw a large pale dragonfly flying quickly away, when I approached. And then later I flushed it again in between the thicket where it finally found this good hawthorn to hang from. A fresh teneral individual smells like a local animal. A few days ago I had another suspected female at the edge of Pinseskoven, Kalvebod Fælled, and two days later I saw two suspected females inside the forest along the good path for apatura butterflies, and finally on July 7 a confirmed one! The species transforms from egg to imago in a single season, why there is no problem suspecting these animals to be local, based on the massive presence in eastern Denmark the last two years. My first female on Amager, and my first teneral individual.
	2825 (6 photos) 2024-07-07 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Bagstien, Pinseskoven. On July 1 I had two suspected females at this spot. They were flying around, but impossible to capture on photo, and finally disappeared. Today I spotted one again: smallish hawker with brown body and greenish toward the front part as seen in photo 1, and moving erratically and fast around about 4-5 meters above the ground. And then luckily it decided to perch, and luckily right in front of me - every time it flew with trees in the background I tended to loose sight of it. My eyes or just plain difficult in general. For the record I also had a suspected male in the same spot, brightly blue and smallish, but only seen briefly, and not again the following days. The wing marks are brown why I assume it to be a mature female. It perched vertically at first but then twisted the angle as seen in the last photos. Three meters above the ground.
	2870 (3 photos) 2024-07-20 Falsterdiget - syd, Denmark Imago ♀ At the parking along the road. Mature. Insistingly patrolling, out of the wind, at a low height, should always make you consider this species, at this time of year, I think. Migrant Hawker [Efterårs-mosaikguldsmed] does it too, but as with the males, the general colors give them away: Migrant is darker and faded-looking, except for the two yellow patches on the side of the thorax - when they are developed well.