Comet Darner vs Tuberous Thistle

Anax longipes compared with Cirsium tuberosum

Key Differences

• Comet Darner is Least Concern while Tuberous Thistle is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Comet Darner	Tuberous Thistle
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family	Aeshnidae	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Anax	Cirsium
Species	Anax longipes	Cirsium tuberosum

Conservation Status

Comet Darner

LC — Least Concern

Tuberous Thistle

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Comet Darner	Tuberous Thistle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Comet Darner

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

Tuberous Thistle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Distributed across Czech Republic, Denmark, and Sweden.

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.