Appalachian Polypody vs Comet Darner

Polypodium appalachianum compared with Anax longipes

Key Differences

Appalachian Polypody is Not Evaluated while Comet Darner is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Appalachian Polypody	Comet Darner
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)	Odonata (Odonata)
Family	Polypodiaceae	Aeshnidae
Genus	Polypodium	Anax
Species	Polypodium appalachianum	Anax longipes

Conservation Status

Appalachian Polypody

NE — Not Evaluated

Comet Darner

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Appalachian Polypody	Comet Darner
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Appalachian Polypody

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Distributed across Canada, France, and United States.

Comet Darner

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

Appalachian Polypody

The Appalachian Polypody (Polypodium appalachianum) is a species in the genus Polypodium. Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

<em>Anax longipes</em>, the comet darner, is a large dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae, assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is endemic to the United States, where it inhabits lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers with clear water and abundant emergent vegetation. The comet darner is one of the largest North American dragonflies and is distinguished by its brilliant coloration, including a green thorax and a red-spotted abdomen in mature males. The species name longipes refers to its notably long legs. Adults are powerful aerial predators, feeding on a variety of flying insects captured in flight. Larvae are aquatic and predatory, developing in the benthic zone of freshwater habitats where they feed on invertebrates and small vertebrates. The comet darner undertakes seasonal dispersal movements and is most commonly observed near its breeding water bodies during the warmer months.