Observations of Saddleback Anax in 2023

 

The Saddleback Anax Anax ephippiger is a dragonfly native to arid regions of Africa and Asia. It breeds regularly in the Mediterranean area, especially in rice fields and coastal lagoons.

 

Outside the Mediterranean area, this aeschne is an occasional visitor, although more and more regular, especially on the Atlantic coast. It can reproduce almost everywhere, often in temporary water points, and often appears following periods of south wind.

 

Able to make great displacements, individuals crossed the Atlantic to join Guyana or Iceland... it has already been reported in a third of the French departments.

 

If some individuals can be observed throughout the year, the peaks of activity are classically centered on the first decade of April to the last of May and, for the second generation, between mid-August and mid-October. This year, the appearance of the imagos seems to be a little earlier and the data show an upward movement towards the north via the Rhone valley, the Garonne basin and the Atlantic coast.

 

Image caption: The Saddle-bearer Anax can be recognized by its sandy ochre-yellow color, punctuated in the male by an azure spot at the beginning of the abdomen. This individual chose the national headquarters of the LPO to take a break. ©  Ph. Jourde.

 

Map based on collective data from Faune-France and its partners. No use authorized without a aproval from the LPO.