Emperor dragonfly

The emperor dragonfly (Anax imperator) is a large aeshnid, 73–82 mm long with a wingspan near 104 mm, and the largest dragonfly over much of Europe. Males have a sky-blue abdomen with a black dorsal stripe, a green thorax and blue eyes; females are yellow-green. Larvae, 45–56 mm, are ambush predators in ponds, lakes, canals and slow rivers, while adults hawk insects on the wing and males defend waterside territories. The species is widespread across Africa and Eurasia and has expanded north since the 1990s. The IUCN assessed it as Least Concern in 2016.