📸 PhotoPhoto: Andreas Eichler · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Lesser emperor
Anax parthenope (Lesser emperor · ギンヤンマ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its length of 71 mm is about 8 tenths of the long side of a credit card (85.6 mm) (Comparison).
- 💡 In Britain, it is treated as a regular seasonal migrant visitor, with sighting records steadily increasing (British Dragonfly Society).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The lesser emperor is a dragonfly of the hawker family distributed in Japan, Korea, parts of China, and Europe. In Britain, it was first recorded in 1996 as a migrant dragonfly and is seen with increasing frequency.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its eyes are green, and its abdomen is brown with a blue upper surface and a black central line running down it. The abdomen is waisted in males but not in females, and the leading vein of the forewing is yellow. Its length is 71 mm.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It breeds in ponds and small lakes and tolerates brackish water. The larva has a long, sleek body measuring 55 mm in Hong Kong records.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
The Hong Kong Biodiversity Database lists Korea and Japan in its distribution, and it is also listed on the National List of Species of Korea as "Wangjamjari" (Korean name).
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2018) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165488/72312377
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — DJXP
- • iucnredlist.org — 72312377
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000037268 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000037268
- • wikidata.org — Q1746487
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:2012.08.11.-18-Viernheimer Heide Viernheim-Kleine Koeni
- • british-dragonflies.org.uk — lesser-emperor
- • afcd.gov.hk — popup record.php
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — author not recorded · CC0 1.0 (Congeneric silhouette — Anax imperator)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.