Bug FAQVagrant Emperor
Anax ephippiger · Order: Odonata · Family: Aeshnidae
Also called: Vagrant Emperor Dragonfly
It lives in wetland habitats such as swamps, lakes and marshes across many African and Asian countries and occasionally migrates to the British Isles, even in winter.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The insect is large for a dragonfly and has greenish-yellow eyes.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits shrub-dominated wetlands, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent lakes, marshes, intermittent marshes and springs, breeding in shallow tanks and marshes.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found in many African nations, as well as in India, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and several island groups such as the Seychelles and Mauritius.
Source: Wikipedia
Status: native in North America. Source: iNaturalist
More photos
Questions people ask
When might I see this dragonfly in the British Isles?
It occasionally arrives as a long-distance migrant and can be observed there in winter.
Source: Wikipedia
What kind of places does it live in?
It prefers wetland habitats such as swamps, lakes, marshes and freshwater springs.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Aeshnidae)
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Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anax_ephippiger
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.