The following is a list of

Odonata Odonata is an order of flying insects that includes the dragonflies and damselflies. Members of the group first appeared during the Triassic, though members of their total group, Odonatoptera, first appeared in Late Carboniferous. The two com ...

species recorded in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. 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. Most of these species are resident, others are

vagrants Vagrancy is the condition of homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants (also known as bums, vagabonds, rogues, tramps or drifters) usually live in poverty and support themselves by begging, scavenging, petty theft, tempora ...

and some have not been recorded since the nineteenth century.

Suborder Zygoptera (damselflies)

Family
Calopterygidae The Calopterygidae are a family of damselflies, in the suborder Zygoptera. They are commonly known as the broad-winged damselflies, demoiselles, or jewelwings. These rather large damselflies have wingspans of 50–80 mm (compared to about 44 ...
(demoiselles)

* Banded demoiselle (banded jewelwing) ''Calopteryx splendens'' * Beautiful demoiselle ''Calopteryx virgo''

Family
Lestidae The Lestidae are a rather small family of cosmopolitan, large-sized, slender damselflies, known commonly as the spreadwings or spread-winged damselflies. Characteristics While most damselflies rest with their wings folded together, most member ...
(emerald damselflies)

* Scarce emerald damselfly (turlough spreadwing) ''Lestes dryas'' * Emerald damselfly (common spreadwing) ''Lestes sponsa''

Family
Coenagrionidae The insect family Coenagrionidae is placed in the order Odonata and the suborder Zygoptera. The Zygoptera are the damselflies, which although less known than the dragonflies, are no less common. More than 1,300 species are in this family, making ...
(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 Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. *

Azure damselfly The azure damselfly (''Coenagrion puella'') is a species of damselfly found in most of Europe. It is notable for its distinctive black and blue colouring. They are commonly found around ponds and lakesides during the summer. Morphology Adults ...

(azure bluet) ''Coenagrion puella'' * Variable damselfly (variable bluet) ''Coenagrion pulchellum'' *

Common blue damselfly ''Enallagma cyathigerum'' (common blue damselfly, common bluet, or northern bluet) is a species found mainly between latitudes 40°N and 72°N; It is widely distributed in the Palearctic, and the Nearctic species '' Enallagma annexum'' was at on ...

(common bluet) ''Enallagma cyathigerum'' * Blue-tailed damselfly (common bluetip) ''Ischnura elegans'' *

Scarce blue-tailed damselfly The scarce blue-tailed damselfly or small bluetail (''Ischnura pumilio'') is a member of the damselfly family Coenagrionidae. The species occurs throughout Europe except in the north. To the east it occurs from Asia Minor to SiberiaTo the south ...

(small bluetip) ''Ischnura pumilio'' *

Large red damselfly The large red damselfly (''Pyrrhosoma nymphula'') is a species of damselflies belonging to the family Coenagrionidae. It is native to the western Palearctic. Distribution This species is a mainly European damselfly, with some populations in Nor ...

(spring redtail) ''Pyrrhosoma nymphula''

Suborder Anisoptera (dragonflies)

Family
Gomphidae The Gomphidae are a family of dragonflies commonly referred to as clubtails or club-tailed dragonflies. The family contains about 90 genera and 900 species found across North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The name refers to the ...
(club-tailed dragonflies)

* Common clubtail (club-tailed dragonfly) ''Gomphus vulgatissimus.'' No modern records.

Family
Aeshnidae The Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies. The family includes the largest dragonflies found in North America and Europe and among the largest dragonflies on the planet. Description Common worldwide or ...
(hawkers and emperors)

* Southern hawker ''Aeshna cyanea.'' Vagrant. *

Brown hawker The brown hawker (''Aeshna grandis'') is a large dragonfly about long. It is a distinctive species and is easily recognised, even in flight, by its brown body and bronze wings. At rest, blue spots on the second and third segments of the male' ...

(amber-winged hawker) ''Aeshna grandis'' * Common hawker (moorland hawker) ''Aeshna juncea'' * Migrant hawker (autumn hawker) ''Aeshna mixta.'' Recent colonist. *

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

(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 The Corduliidae, also knowns as the emeralds, emerald dragonflies or green-eyed skimmers, is a family of dragonflies. These dragonflies are usually black or dark brown with areas of metallic green or yellow, and most of them have large, emerald-gr ...
(emerald dragonflies)

* Downy emerald ''Cordulia aenea'' * Northern emerald (moorland emerald) ''Somatochlora arctica''

Family Libellulidae (chasers, skimmers, and darters)

Broad-bodied chaser ''Libellula depressa'', the broad-bodied chaser or broad-bodied darter,Hart. M., et al, (1978), ''The Naturetrail Omnibus'', London: Usborne Publishing Limited, page 157 is one of the most common dragonflies in Europe and central Asia. It is ver ...

''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 The yellow-winged darter (''Sympetrum flaveolum'') is a dragonfly found in Europe and mid and northern China. Breeding is confined to stagnant water, usually in peat bogs. Although not resident in the United Kingdom it occasionally migrates ther ...

''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: * Willow emerald damselfly * Small red damselfly * Red-eyed damselfly * Golden-ringed dragonfly

References

External links

Dragonfly Ireland
{{Animals of Ireland

Dragonflies of Europe Odonata of Ireland Ireland, odonata

Suborder Zygoptera (damselflies)

Family Calopterygidae The Calopterygidae are a family of damselflies, in the suborder Zygoptera. They are commonly known as the broad-winged damselflies, demoiselles, or jewelwings. These rather large damselflies have wingspans of 50–80 mm (compared to about 44 ... (demoiselles)

Family Lestidae The Lestidae are a rather small family of cosmopolitan, large-sized, slender damselflies, known commonly as the spreadwings or spread-winged damselflies. Characteristics While most damselflies rest with their wings folded together, most member ... (emerald damselflies)