The Blue-eyed Darner (Aeshna multicolor, syn. Rhionaeschna multicolor) is a dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae.

The Blue-eyed Darner is a common dragonfly of the western United States commonly sighted in the sagebrush steppe of the Snake River Plain, occurring east to the Midwest from central Canada and the Dakotas south to west Texas and Oklahoma. In Central America it occurs south to Panama. This is usually the second earliest Darner to emerge in the spring, with the California Darner emerging first. It hunts small flying insects while on the wing.

Adults

The Blue-eyed Darner is a large specimen with a length of 65mm - 70mm (2.5 to 2.75 inches). The eyes of both males and females are bright blue. The male is dark brown to brownish black. The top of the thorax, behind the head, is marked with two blue stripes, and each side of the thorax is marked with a pair of blue diagonal stripes. The abdomen is marked with both large and small blue spots. The anal appendages of males and females are forked and the female is marked similarly to the male; however, the base color is brown and the markings are green.

Habitat

This species occurs near lakes, ponds, and marshes at lower elevations.

References

"Aeshna multicolor". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=101611. Retrieved 13 February 2006.