Anax (from Ancient Greek ', "lord, master, king") is a genus of dragonflies in the family Aeshnidae. It includes species such as the emperor dragonfly, Anax imperator.
Anax spp. are very large dragonflies. They generally have light-colored bodies and dark tails with pale markings.
Some species are migratory, for example Anax junius.
The genus Anax includes these species:
A single fossil species, â Anax cryptus <small>Gentilini & Peters, 1993</small> is known from the Late Miocene of Italy.
The genus Anax was described by William Elford Leach in 1815 when he published in Brewster's Edinburgh Encyclopedia.