Asbestos Grass vs Comet Darner

Cenchrus basedowii compared with Anax longipes

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asbestos Grass	Comet Darner
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Odonata (Odonata)
Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Aeshnidae
Genus	Cenchrus	Anax
Species	Cenchrus basedowii	Anax longipes

Conservation Status

Asbestos Grass

LC — Least Concern

Comet Darner

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Asbestos Grass	Comet Darner
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Asbestos Grass

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Comet Darner

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

Asbestos Grass

Asbestos grass (Cenchrus basedowii) is a species in the genus Cenchrus. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Comet Darner

<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.