Anaciaeschna jaspidea

Anaciaeschna jaspidea is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae, commonly known as the Australasian duskhawker and Rusty darner. It widely distributed from India through Australia to the Pacific. It is a large brown dragonfly with blue eyes. Its thorax is reddish-brown, with two broad greenish-yellow stripes on each side. Wings are transparent with pterostigma, reddish-brown. Abdomen is reddish-brown, marked with azure-blue, white, and yellow. Segment 1 has a large pale yellow spot on each side. Segment 2 has white marks on the sides and azure-blue on the dorsum with a broad spot of reddish-brown on mid-dorsum. Segment 3 to 7 are brown on dorsum with black apical annules. Segments 8 to 10 are darker on dorsum with a pair of dorsal apical spots. Anal appendages are dark reddish-brown. Female is similar to the male. It is a crepuscular species, flies during dawn and dusk. It is common in marshes surrounded by woods where it breeds. The Australasian duskhawker, Anaciaeschna jaspidea, should not be confused with almost-similarly named Australian duskhawker, Austrogynacantha heterogena, a different species of Aeshnid dragonfly.