# Common Aeshna (*Aeshna juncea*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-aeshna  
Data as of: 2026-11-14

The common aeshna (Aeshna juncea) is a species in the family Aeshnidae, order Odonata. Recorded adults reach 8 cm in length. Source checklists list it for 2 countries: Canada and United States.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | 6.5 cm – 8 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | freshwater, wetland |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Generations a year | One every two years or more |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | 2 countries |

## Recorded prey and predators

Recorded prey: Diving bell spider (*Argyroneta aquatica*), Corynoneura scutellata (*Corynoneura scutellata*), Common bluet (*Enallagma cyathigerum*), Holocentropus picicornis (*Holocentropus picicornis*), Hydroporus erythrocephalus (*Hydroporus erythrocephalus*), Green Lestes (*Lestes sponsa*), Limnephilus marmoratus (*Limnephilus marmoratus*), Procladius sagittalis (*Procladius sagittalis*), Alderfly (*Sialis lutaria*), Sturm's diving beetle (*Agabus sturmii*), Agabus bipustulatus (*Agabus bipustulatus*), Callicorixa praeusta (*Callicorixa praeusta*). Recorded predators: Great water beetle (*Dytiscus marginalis*). Each pair is recorded by at least two datasets compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/, CC0 1.0).

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Insecta
- order: Odonata
- family: Aeshnidae
- genus: Aeshna
- species: *Aeshna juncea* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Aeschna atshischgho*, *Aeschna crenatoides*, *Aeschna juncea*, *Aeschna juncea gomphus*, *Aeschna juncea subsp. angustistyla*, *Aeschna justi*, *Aeschna lapponica*, *Aeschna picta*, *Aeschna picta subsp. caucasica*, *Aeschna rustica*, *Aeshna baicalensis*, *Aeshna crenatoides*, *Aeshna juncea brachystigma*, *Aeshna juncea mongolica*, *Aeshna juncea orientalis*, *Aeshna juncea subsp. americana*, *Aeshna rustica*, *Aeshna undulata*, *Libellula juncea*, *Libellula ocellata*

## Countries on record

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

Canada, United States

## Common questions

### How big is the common aeshna?

An adult common aeshna measures 6.5 cm – 8 cm long, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

### Where does the common aeshna live?

Catalogue of Life checklists list the common aeshna for 2 countries: Canada and United States. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.

### What kind of animal is the common aeshna?

The common aeshna (Aeshna juncea) belongs to the family Aeshnidae in the order Odonata.

### What eats the common aeshna?

Animals recorded preying on the common aeshna include great water beetle. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

### Which animals does the common aeshna eat?

Animals recorded as prey of the common aeshna include diving bell spider, corynoneura scutellata, common bluet and holocentropus picicornis. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI): interpreted data products](https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/), CC0 1.0, 0.11. Poelen, J.H., Simons, J.D. & Mungall, C.J. (2014) Global Biotic Interactions: an open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics 24: 148–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2014.08.005. Data: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22691479, with each record's original reference.
- [TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844), CC BY 4.0, 2.0. Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844

Cite as: Common Aeshna (Aeshna juncea). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-aeshna