Common Club-tail (Gomphus vulgatissimus)
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: | Common Clubtail |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Gomphus vulgatissimus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| 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: | The species breeds on slow-flowing sections of river systems with good water quality; adults favour woodlands and hedgerows for foraging. Species distribution is restricted primarily as a result of a lack of suitable habitat but is relatively stable and there is evidence the species is capable of dispersing to and colonising newly created suitable wetlands showing a capacity for recovery. Rivers with surviving populations: Dee, Arun, Thames, Wye, Vyrnwy, Severn, Rother, Teme. Rivers with historic records: Avon and Kennet. While there are knowledge gaps regarding the species' ecology and habitat requirements, existing research suggests the species should respond positively to restorative management of its associated catchments, which may include river re-profiling, riparian woodland restoration, and improvements in water quality, as well as protection from harmful river and bankside management actions, such as dredging. Effective and sympathetic river management activities, together with pollution prevention is key to this species' recovery. These goals 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: | The re-naturalization of canalized lowland rivers including the diversification of river structure and restoration of riparian woodland and hedgerows. |
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.