Leicestershire & Rutland Odonata Species

 Damselfies (Zygoptera)

Of the 26 species of odonata recorded in the county, 11 are damselflies, ten of which are resident. With the exception of Beautiful Demoiselle which has only been recorded as a rare vagrant, they are all relatively easy to find, given that you look in the right places at the right times of year. For a closer look at each species, click on the links below:

» Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo
» Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens
» Emerald Damselfly Lestes sponsa
» White-legged Damselfly Platycnemis pennipes
» Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula
» Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma najas
» Small Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma viridulum
» Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella
» Variable Damselfly Coenagrion pulchellum
» Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyiathigerum
» Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans

Future Damselfly Additions?
There are a few species which are still unrecorded in Leicestershire & Rutland that may well colonise in the future, or at least appear as vagrants. Here is the best candidate:

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura pumilio - Spreading north and east from its main populations in the south-west. Isolated colonies exist in many of the home counties, and Warwickshire had their first record in 2002. Preferred habitat is shallow wetlands, often with disturbance and minmal vegetation. Working gravel pits are the most likely sites in our county, especially around seepages. Will breed in micro-habitats such as water-filled tractor tyre marks. Flight period from late May to early September.

 Dragonflies (Anisoptera)

Of the 26 species of odonata recorded in the county, 15 are dragonflies, 10 of which are resident. With the exception of Common Hawker and Black Darter, both of which have strayed from acidic heathland habitats from the north, and Lesser Emperor, Red-veined Darter and Yellow-winged Darter which are European immigrants, they are all relatively easy to find, given that you look in the right places at the right times of year. For a closer look at each species, click on the links below:

» Common Hawker Aeshna juncea
» Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta
» Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea
» Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis
» Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator
» Lesser Emperor Anax parthenope
» Hairy Dragonfly Brachytron pratense
» Four-spotted Chaser Libellula quadrimaculata
» Broad-bodied Chaser Libellula depressa
» Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum
» Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum
» Red-veined Darter Sympetrum fonscolombii
» Yellow-winged Darter Sympetrum flaveolum
» Ruddy Darter Sympetrum sanguineum
» Black Darter Sympetrum danae

Future Dragonfly Additions?
There are a few species which are still unrecorded in Leicestershire & Rutland that may well colonise in the future, or at least appear as vagrants. Here are the best dragonfly candidates, the most likely first.

Scarce Chaser Libellula fulva - An uncommon and localised dragonfly nationally, but one that is slowly spreading. Preferred habitats are slow-moving rivers. Nearest colonies in Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. Flight period late May to early August.

Club-tailed Dragonfly Gomphus vulgatissimus - Could conceivably occur. Habitat requirements are very specific: slow-flowing rivers with large silt deposits and overhanging bankside vegetation. Nearest populations in south-west Warwickshire. Flight period early May and June.

 Dragonfly and Damselfly Anatomy

The first major step in identifying dragonflies and damselflies is to undestand the difference between the two. Dragonflies are generally big with a thick, either tubular of flattened 'tail' (abdomen) and broad wings (broadest where they meet the thorax). They have huge compound eyes which take up much of their face. The eyes join in the middle on top of the head. Damselflies are smaller, and are dainty, elegant insects. They have a long, thin, tubular abdomen, narrow wings (narrowest where they meet the thorax), and large eyes (although much smaller than dragonflies) which protrude from the sides of the head, almost as if on stalks. One further difference is the way they hold their wings. Dragonflies almost always have their wings spread fully open, and can often be found perching on vegetation, hanging vertically. Damselflies habitually close their wings when at rest and hold them over the abdomen. One damselfly, the Emerald Damselfly, usually holds its wings open at 45 degrees.

 Glossary

In addition to the anatomical terms mentioned above, several other definitions are used on this website, and in general to describe odonata. Here are a few:

Egg - The first life stage - tiny eggs laid either on submerged vegetation or directly into water.

Larva - Hatching from the eggs, larva spend typically one to three years in ponds, rivers and lakes, preying on small water life.

Exuvia - When ready, the larva climb out of the water on a stem or reed, and emerge as adult dragonflies, leaving the exuvia or larval case behind, attached to the stem.

Adult - The flying insect, even when newly emerged and sexually immature, in known as an adult.

Teneral - The first early stages of adulthood, when the insects are very vulnerable. The wings may still be damp and show a fragile sheen, and the colours are usually pale or absent altogether.

Immature - An adult generally before it reaches full sexual maturity (although some insects that appear to be immatures can be seen mating). Often shows duller, paler colours than the fully mature adults.

Mature - In pristine condition and full colour, ready to mate.

Over-mature - Many species 'turn' when they become old, and look very tatty, 'dirty' and can show different colours, typically duller, greyish or brownish hues.

Flight Period - The time a species is generally on the wing (not an individual), from the first teneral emergence to the last straggler late in the season.

Ovipositing - Egg-laying females are described as ovipositing. Some species perch on floating or emergent vegetation (either singly or still coupled with the male), whilst others dip the tips of their abdomens into water whilst hovering, repeated in a 'sewing machine' fashion.

Tandem - A mating pair are often described as being in tandem, or coupled.