Australian Emperor

Anax papuensis · Order: Odonata · Family: Aeshnidae

Also called: Australian Emperor Dragonfly, Baron Dragonfly, Yellow Emperor Dragonfly

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Australian Emperor
Photo: Thomas Mesaglio, CC BY

The Australian emperor dragonfly can reach about 70 mm in length and a wingspan of roughly 11 cm.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

It can grow up to 70 mm long. Its wingspan reaches about 11 cm (4.3 in).

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It is common on larger bodies of water that have tall vegetation on the banks.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Females lay their eggs under water.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults are on the wing from September through May.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

It occurs throughout Australia.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Australian Emperor photo 3
Photo: Donald Hobern, CC BY

Questions people ask

When are Australian emperor dragonflies active?

They fly from September to May.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Aeshnidae)

Common Green DarnerCommon Green DarnerAnax juniusSouthern HawkerSouthern HawkerAeshna cyaneaHarmlessBlue EmperorBlue EmperorAnax imperatorMigrant HawkerMigrant HawkerAeshna mixtaBlue-eyed DarnerBlue-eyed DarnerRhionaeschna multicolorShadow DarnerShadow DarnerAeshna umbrosa

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_emperor

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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