Western Banded Glowworm vs Migrant Hawker

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Western Banded Glowworm Migrant Hawker
Scientific Name Zarhipis integripennis Aeshna mixta
Order Coleoptera Odonata
Family Phengodidae Aeshnidae
Size 15-30 mm (female), 8-12 mm (male) 56-64 mm wingspan
Habitat Heathland Ponds & Lakes
Diet Predators Predators
Regions North America, Western United States Europe, Asia, Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Western Banded Glowworm

A North American glowworm beetle where the larviform female produces rows of greenish-yellow bioluminescent spots along her body segments. Males are winged with elaborate feathery antennae.

💡

Did You Know?

The glowing female looks like a miniature train at night, with paired lateral light organs resembling lit windows on a railcar.

Migrant Hawker

A medium-sized hawker dragonfly that has significantly expanded its range northward in Europe. It flies late into autumn, often the last dragonfly seen each year.

💡

Did You Know?

This species often forms large feeding swarms in the autumn, with dozens of individuals hunting together over fields and along hedgerows.