Variable Damselfly (Coenagrion pulchellum)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - dragonfly (Odonata) > Dragonfly or damselfly |
| Red List Status: | Near Threatened (Not Relevant) [NT(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Coenagrion pulchellum |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Vander Linden, 1825) |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Daguet et al., 2008 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Listed in the British Odonata Red Data List (Daguet et al., 2008) as Near Threatened (qualified under B2 but could not meet the additional criterion). A significant proportion of the British population is located in England. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | This species is associated with still or slow-flowing dykes, ditches, fens, ponds and mature gravel pits, which are often alkaline and have good water quality. Breeding sites are typically small; where the species is recorded on larger sites, it is frequently confined to smaller, unshaded areas sheltered by trees. Breeding sites are well vegetated with floating and submerged plants, and lush marginal growth. A lack of suitable habitat is believed to be the primary factor limiting species recovery. While a detailed understanding of the species' habitat requirements is currently lacking, it has been observed to respond positively to non-species-specific wetland habitat creation and restoration projects; for example, the species has been recorded to actively colonise new man-made wetlands, such as flooded gravel pits. It's ability to disperse to new breeding sites enhances its capacity for recovery. The species' recovery requires improvements to the ecological status of England’s water bodies, in particular water quality, across its current range, within which its populations are sparsely distributed (its current range stretches as far west as South Somerset and as far north as North Lincolnshire). Enrichment from agricultural and urban pollutants (such as nutrient run-off and sewage discharge) is believed to be a significant driver of local extinction. In addition, the restoration and reconnection of lowland fens and other mesotrophic wetland systems, including grazing marshes, ponds, and lakes is required to increase the availability of suitable habitat. These actions complement existing environmental targets to restore and improve the health of England’s freshwater wetlands. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Diversification of individual waterbodies, such as the margins of lakes, can create pockets of breeding habitat. The diversification of wetland systems on a larger scale, with the creation of new water bodies, such as pools and ditches, creates larger areas of potential habitat. |
Species Assessment
Not relevant as no Key Actions defined.
Key Actions
No Key Actions Defined
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.