Dainty Damselfly (Coenagrion scitulum)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - dragonfly (Odonata) > Dragonfly or damselfly |
| Red List Status: | Regionally Extinct (GB scale) (Not Relevant) [RE(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 scitulum |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Rambur, 1842) |
| 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 Regionally Extinct (extinct in England since 1953). It has since been rediscovered and is now known to be breeding in Kent. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Despite its recolonisation of England and range expansion since 2010, all existing sites are under threat. Associated with open, shallow, standing and slow-flowing waters lush with aquatic vegetation. It is currently localised to a few sites in Kent which include coastal grazing marshes, dominated by Myriophyllum spicatum and Bolboschoenus maritimus, and freshwater grassland pools, with vegetation such as Elodea canadensis. Sea level rise threatens its coastal sites, while all sites could be negatively impacted by drought and naturally lost as a result of succession without management. |
| 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: | Increase the abundance of shallow well-vegetated freshwater habitats within the landscape. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 8. Species recovering |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Climate change |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Combination - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | Species occupancy is being surveyed by the British Dragonfly Society Recording Scheme, while structured monitoring projects are being conducted at known sites. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Trial habitat management and creation techniques aimed to: 1. Maintain a percentage cover of its preferred shallow wetland breeding habitat within the landscape. 2. Expand coastal grazing marshes to increase the availability of suitable habitats and offset loss predicted as a result of climate change- specifically breeding habitat: systems of shallow slow-flowing ditches with lush aquatic vegetation. Research should include species surveying to assess success.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: Not applicable
High priority sites:
Comments: Results used to inform Key Action 2 and 3.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Apply findings of previous action on a landscape level at key sites to encourage population growth and to compensate for predicted habitat loss as a result of sea level. Existing monitoring projects should be adapted to assess the success of habitat creation.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Landscape/catchment/marine management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Oare Marshes and Sandwich Bay.
Comments: The duration will be determined by Key Action 1.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Produce habitat management and creation guidance based on findings with Key Action 1, as well as species surveying guidance to assist in the identification of new colonies and measure the success of management actions. Share with relevant stakeholders, site owners and practitioners for wider implementation. Success can be measured by the results of species occupancy surveying carried out as part of the British Dragonfly Society Recording Scheme.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Education/awareness raising
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments:
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.