The following is a list of Odonata species recorded in Ireland. Common names are those given in the standard literature; where a different name has been given in The Natural History of Ireland's Dragonflies, this is given in brackets.[1] Most of these species are resident, others are vagrants and some have not been recorded since the nineteenth century.[2]
Suborder Zygoptera (damselflies)
Family Calopterygidae (demoiselles)
- Banded demoiselle (banded jewelwing) – Calopteryx splendens
- Beautiful demoiselle – Calopteryx virgo
Family Lestidae (emerald damselflies)
- Scarce emerald damselfly (turlough spreadwing) – Lestes dryas
- Emerald damselfly (common spreadwing) – Lestes sponsa
Family Coenagrionidae (blue, blue-tailed, and red damselflies)
- Irish damselfly (Irish bluet) – Coenagrion lunulatum. The common name comes from the fact that it is found in Ireland but not in Britain.
- Azure damselfly (azure bluet) – Coenagrion puella
- Variable damselfly (variable bluet) – Coenagrion pulchellum
- Common blue damselfly (common bluet) – Enallagma cyathigerum
- Blue-tailed damselfly (common bluetip) – Ischnura elegans
- Scarce blue-tailed damselfly (small bluetip) – Ischnura pumilio
- Large red damselfly (spring redtail) – Pyrrhosoma nymphula
Suborder Anisoptera (dragonflies)
Family Gomphidae (club-tailed dragonflies)
- Common clubtail (club-tailed dragonfly) – Gomphus vulgatissimus. No modern records.
Family Aeshnidae (hawkers and emperors)
- Southern hawker – Aeshna cyanea. Vagrant.
- Brown hawker (amber-winged hawker) – Aeshna grandis
- Common hawker (moorland hawker) – Aeshna juncea
- Migrant hawker (autumn hawker) – Aeshna mixta. Recent colonist.
- Emperor (blue emperor) – Anax imperator. Recent colonist.
- Lesser emperor (yellow-ringed emperor) – Anax parthenope. Vagrant.
- Hairy dragonfly (spring hawker) – Aeshna grandis
- Vagrant emperor – Hemianax ephippiger. Vagrant.
Family Corduliidae (emerald dragonflies)
- Downy emerald – Cordulia aenea
- Northern emerald (moorland emerald) – Somatochlora arctica
Family Libellulidae (chasers, skimmers, and darters)
- Broad-bodied chaser – Libellula depressa. No modern records.
- Scarce chaser – Libellula fulva. No modern records.
- Four-spotted chaser – Libellula quadrimaculata
- Black-tailed skimmer – Orthetrum cancellatum
- Keeled skimmer (heathland skimmer) – Orthetrum coerulescens
- Black darter – Sympetrum danae
- Yellow-winged darter – Sympetrum flaveolum. Vagrant.
- Red-veined darter – Sympetrum fonscolombii. Status unknown.
- Ruddy darter – Sympetrum sanguineum
- Common darter – Sympetrum striolatum
Discounted records
The following species have been included in previous lists of Irish dragonflies, but are no longer regarded as having been reliably recorded:
See also
- List of Odonata species of Great Britain
- Lt-Col. F. C. Fraser, 1956 Handbooks For The Identification of British Insects: Vol 1 Part 10. Odonata. Royal Entomological Society.online as pdf
References
- ^ Brian Nelson, Robert Thompson (2004). The Natural History of Ireland's Dragonflies. Ulster Museum. ISBN 978-0-900761-45-4.
- ^ "Species list for Odonata". www.habitas.org.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2021.