There are 57 recorded species of Odonata in Britain, made up of 21 damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) and 36 dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera). Of these, 42 species (17 damselflies and 25 dragonflies) are resident breeders, and the remainder are either extinct species, or vagrants - in respect of the latter, this list follows the decisions of the Odonata Records Committee.
Some of these rare species have not been seen since the 19th Century; however, the British Odonata list is also currently undergoing a period of unprecedented change, as new species are being discovered for the first time, some going on to become breeding species.
This list is based on the following principal references:
A number of other references were used to provide information on specific topics, including rare vagrants, post-1990 additions, predictions, species claimed but not accepted/species of uncertain provenance, non-natives, taxonomic matters and species found only in the Channel Islands.
Ireland's Odonata fauna is quite different from that of Britain, with many fewer breeding species, but one additional species not found in Britain, Irish Damselfly Coenagrion lunulatum – see List of Odonata species of Ireland for more information.
After a period in which the British Odonata list has been relatively static, since 1990, many new species have been found and some have gone on to become regular breeding species. In chronological order of their first record, these new species are:
Many British Odonata enthusiasts expect further species to be added to the list in the near future. The list below is up to date breeding season.
While most species on the list below are either extant established breeding species or rare vagrants, some do not fall into these two categories. The following species bred in the past but are now extinct:
The following species are sporadic or casual breeders:
Records of non-native Odonata species in Britain have been confined to individuals found within heated greenhouses associated with nurseries for aquatic plants. None of these species have been recorded in wild situations or gone on to establish populations in the wild. Details of species which have occurred in such circumstances can be found in Agassiz 1981,[17] Brooks 1988,[18] and Parr 2000a.[3]
The list is in taxonomic order. The English name of each species is given, followed by its scientific name, details of the range countries for each breeding species, and an overall status code for species which are not long-established extant breeding species.
The following abbreviations are used to give country-by-country distribution information for the breeding species:
The following codes are used to give status details for those species which are not long-established extant breeding species:
| Species | Scientific name | Range countries | Status code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banded demoiselle | Calopteryx splendens | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Beautiful demoiselle | Calopteryx virgo | Eng/Scot/Wales |
| Species | Scientific name | Range countries | Status code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willow emerald damselfly | Chalcolestes viridis | V (1899) RC (2007) | ||
| Scarce emerald damselfly | Lestes dryas | Eng | ||
| Emerald damselfly | Lestes sponsa | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Southern emerald damselfly | Lestes barbarus | Eng | V (2002) | |
| Common winter damselfly | Sympecma fusca | V (2008) |
| Species | Scientific name | Range countries | Status code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small red damselfly | Ceriagrion tenellum | Eng/Wales | ||
| Norfolk damselfly | Coenagrion armatum | Ex (1957) | ||
| Northern damselfly | Coenagrion hastulatum | Scot | ||
| Southern damselfly | Coenagrion mercuriale | Eng/Wales | ||
| Azure damselfly | Coenagrion puella | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Variable damselfly | Coenagrion pulchellum | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Dainty damselfly | Coenagrion scitulum | Eng | RC (2010) | |
| Common blue damselfly | Enallagma cyathigerum | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Red-eyed damselfly | Erythromma najas | Eng/Wales | ||
| Small red-eyed damselfly | Erythromma viridulum | Eng | RC (1999) | |
| Blue-tailed damselfly | Ischnura elegans | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Scarce blue-tailed damselfly | Ischnura pumilio | Eng/Wales | ||
| Large red damselfly | Pyrrhosoma nymphula | Eng/Scot/Wales |
| Species | Scientific name | Range countries | Status Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common clubtail | Gomphus vulgatissimus | Eng/Wales | ||
| Yellow-legged dragonfly | Gomphus flavipes | V (1818) |
| Species | Scientific name | Range countries | Status code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern hawker | Aeshna cyanea | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Brown hawker | Aeshna grandis | Eng/Wales | ||
| Norfolk hawker | Aeshna isosceles | Eng | ||
| Azure hawker | Aeshna caerulea | Scot | ||
| Common hawker | Aeshna juncea | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Migrant hawker | Aeshna mixta | Eng/Wales | ||
| Southern migrant hawker | Aeshna affinis | V (1952)?RC (2012) | ||
| Emperor | Anax imperator | Eng/Wales | ||
| Lesser emperor | Anax parthenope | Eng | RC (1996) | |
| Green darner | Anax junius | V (1998) | ||
| Hairy dragonfly | Brachytron pratense | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Vagrant emperor | Hemianax ephippiger | V (1903) |
| Species | Scientific name | Range countries | Status code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downy emerald | Cordulia aenea | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Brilliant emerald | Somatochlora metallica | Eng/Scot | ||
| Yellow-spotted emerald | Somatochlora flavomaculata | V (2018) | ||
| Northern emerald | Somatochlora arctica | Scot | ||
| Orange-spotted emerald | Oxygastra curtisii | Ex (1963) |
| Species | Scientific name | Range countries | Status code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broad-bodied chaser | Libellula depressa | Eng/Wales | ||
| Scarce chaser | Libellula fulva | Eng | ||
| Four-spotted chaser | Libellula quadrimaculata | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Black-tailed skimmer | Orthetrum cancellatum | Eng/Wales | ||
| Keeled skimmer | Orthetrum coerulescens | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Scarlet dragonfly | Crocothemis erythraea | V (1995) | ||
| Black darter | Sympetrum danae | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Yellow-winged darter | Sympetrum flaveolum | V | ||
| Red-veined darter | Sympetrum fonscolombei | Eng | RC | |
| Ruddy darter | Sympetrum sanguineum | Eng/Wales | ||
| Common darter | Sympetrum striolatum | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Highland darter | Sympetrum striolatum nigrescens | Scot | ||
| Vagrant darter | Sympetrum vulgatum | V | ||
| Banded darter | Sympetrum pedemontanum | V (1995) | ||
| White-faced darter | Leucorrhinia dubia | Eng/Scot/Wales | ||
| Large white-faced darter | Leucorrhinia pectoralis | V (1859) | ||
| Wandering glider | Pantala flavescens | V (1823) |
Willow emerald damselfly, since 2007 this species is established and spreading in south-east England, especially Suffolk and Essex. It was previously only known from a single record from Hertfordshire in 1899 (although this record is based on a specimen regarded by some as perhaps not of British origin, see Gladwin 1997[19]) and a single exuvia collected in Kent in 1992 (Brook & Brook 2002,[20] 2004[21]).
Common clubtail was formerly known as club-tailed dragonfly.
Yellow-legged dragonfly is known from just a single record, in Sussex in 1818.
Southern migrant hawker was known from just a single record, in Kent in 1952, although an Aeshna seen in 1992 on the outskirts of Bristol may have been this species (Holmes 1993[22]), and the species has been recorded twice in Jersey since 1998 (Long 2000,[23] Parr 2005[24]). However in 2006 four specimens were seen: In the Adur valley in West Sussex on 13 July website of reporter with photo ; Grimstone Warren, Norfolk on 21 July; Little Wootton Inclosure New Forest (SZ 227 987) on 6 August; And at the mouth of the Beaulieu River in Hampshire on 10 August. Since 2012 it has probably become established as a breeding species in the Thames Estuary area.
Vagrant emperor records taken from Silsby (1993).[25]
Yellow-winged darter is listed as a vagrant, but is occasionally subject to large influxes e.g. in 1995.
Highland darter and common darter may be conspecific (see Merritt & Vick 1983[26]).
Large white-faced darter has been recorded only once, at Sheerness, Kent in 1859.
Wandering glider has been recorded only three times – at Horning, Norfolk in 1823, Bolton, Lancashire in 1951 and in Kent in 1989, although the two 20th Century records may result from accidental introductions.
Wandering glider was formerly known as globe skimmer.
Habitat limited to Eastern England and particularly East Anglia.
1. The following species have been claimed but not accepted by the Odonata Records Committee:
2. The following species have been recorded, and their identification accepted, but the circumstances surrounding the records and/or specimens cast doubt on their natural occurrence, and they are not included in the official British list:
3. The following is a list of species which have previously been predicted to occur in Britain but have not yet been recorded (see Merritt, Moore & Eversham 1996[1] pp. 113–114 and Parr 1998,[29] 1999[30]): subarctic darner (Aeshna subarctica), northern white-faced darter (Leucorrhina rubicunda) and small emerald damselfly (Lestes virens).
4. In addition to the species listed above, southern skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) and southern darter (Sympetrum meridionale) have been recorded in the Channel Islands (Parr 2000a).[3]