The Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isosceles), while not uncommon in Europe, is an extremely rare species of dragonfly in Great Britain. It has a yellow triangular mark on the second abdominal segment which gave rise to its scientific name. It also has green eyes and clear, untinted wings. It is mainly a Mediterranean species, at home in the lowlands of North Africa and Southern Europe.
In Britain, the Norfolk Hawker is protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and listed in Category 1 (endangered) in the British Red Data Books on Insects.
Its habitats in The Broads[1] in Norfolk, England include Hickling Broad and two National Nature Reserves: Mid-Yare NNR and Ludham - Potter Heigham NNR.
The Norfolk Hawker needs unspoiled grazing marsh dykes, clean non-saline water, rushy margins, and an abundance of aquatic plants, especially the water soldier Stratoites aloides.
Recently, an alternative common name,Green-eyed Hawker, has been proposed for this species by Dijkstra in his book The Dragonflies of Britain and Europe (ISBN 0953139948)
References and Notes
- ^ An area with similar protection to a National park
External links
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