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Gomphus vulgatissinius (Linnaeus) Club-tailed dragonfly Description G. vulgatissimus is a medium-size dragonfly in which the coloration is black with areas of Habitat Status and distribution European and world distribution pale lime-green and yellow It bears a superficial resemblance, amongst British dragonflies, to Cordulegaster boltonn but is much smaller and the pattern of pale markings is quite different. G. vulgatissimus differs from all other British Anisoptera in that its pale greenish eyes are not contiguous dorsally In both sexes, the thorax and anterior segments of the abdomen are extensively marked with pale lime-green to yellow markings. The posterior abdominal segments are not so heavily marked dorsally, but do possess a bright yellow mark laterally on each of the expanded segments 8 and 9, which is very distinctive. This lateral expansion, especially noticeable in males, gives the body a clubbed appearance — hence the vernacular name. G. vulgatissimus breeds in unpolluted rivers of moderate to slow flow, the depositional nature of which provides the silt or mud in which the larvae live. On the continent, G. vulgatissimus breeds also in static water of ponds and lakes, and Kemp (1988) records an example of this in Shropshire. Breeding biology There is some doubt about the extent to which G. vulgatissimus is territorial. Mating can take place far away from water (Moore 1991b). On the River Severn, it exhibits a preference for sheltered 'mill-pond'-like stretches of river where the water is slow flowing and in close proximity to woodland or scrub (Kemp & Vick 1983). During oviposition, the females fly very low over these quieter reaches of river, unaccompanied by males, and drop their eggs into the water while in flight, sometimes just touching the surface with the tip of their abdomens. The larvae live in the bottom silt and mud, and probably take three or more years to develop. G. vulgatissiMus is a spring species with a synchronous emergence. As a result, its presence on a river can often be noted because of the numerous exuviae on riverside herbage, the trunks of trees or directly on the soil of the river's bank. Unlike other Anisoptera, they can emerge in a horizontal position. Locating exuviae is most easily accomplished in areas of river that flow through pasture rather than arable land. This is because the cattle trample the bankside vegetation while drinldng, thus creating open sandy areas over which the larvae crawl to emerge on the bank or amongst the loose vegetation. Dispersal is invariably away from the river, and adults can be seen flying in woodland rides or along hedgerows several kilometres from the river. Flight periods G. vulgatissimus has a short flying season from mid-May to early July. It is commonly found with Platycnemis pennipes and Calopteryx splendens. G. vulgatissimus is confined to seven river systems in southern Britain, namely: the Rivers Thames, Arun, Dee, Severn, Wye, Tywi, and Teifi and their tributaries. It formerly bred on several rivers in the New Forest area including the River Oberwater and the Moors River, but has not been seen there since 1970. A male and a female, now in the <strong>Natural</strong> History Museum, London, were captured at Castor Hanglands, Cambridgeshire, on 1 June 1951, but a search of the nearby River Nene has not so far proved successful. Several G. vulgatissimus were seen, and one taken, in June 1939 at an unnamed location about a mile from the River Darent in Kent (Longfleld 1949b). G. vulgatissimus has not been recorded authentically from Ireland. However, a specimen marked as Irish exists in the Trinity College Museum, Dublin (King & Halbert 1910). According to King and Halbert, this was probably taken by Miss Ball (a celebrated Irish entomologist of the early 19th century) who had no doubt that the species occurred in Ireland. They speculate that the specimen may have come from the Youghal district in the south, where Miss Ball spent some time collecting dragonflies. Certainly, the River Blackwater near Youghal looks suitable for this species, which can easily be overlooked. G. vulgatissimus is vulnerable to pollution, and to the increased use of rivers by pleasure boats, the wash from which can dislodge and drown large numbers of emerging adults in May On the continent, it occurs in many central and northern countries from France and northern Italy to southern Scandinavia and east to Russia. It is scarce in the Mediterranean region. 80
Gomphus vulgatissimus (Linnaeus) 1975-90 o 1950-74 O Pre-1950 6 , 1 , iz- a , : 97 3 81 0000 o o 00 00 00 000 o 00 S.* e o o oo 0 Club-tailed dragonfly 0500 Sim 5550 0 o
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Cover photograph: Aeshna juncea Ins
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@ NERC Copyright 1996 ISBN 0 11 701
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FOREWORD Having been on the fringe
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The following list
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Howard, G.; Howard, LW; Howe, M.; H
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Walker, D.S.; Walker, FA; WaLker, I
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CHECKLIST The following checklist i
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Aeshna mixta Latreille 1805 Aeschna
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THE BRITISH AND IRISH ODONATA IN A
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of distributions of dragonflies usi
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I 00 o o Figure 3. Map of coverage
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,o " Figure 5. Map of coverage at t
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FIELDWORK AND DATA MANAGEMENT METHO
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areas, and encouraged in this by bo
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Table 3. Distribution of each speci
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Table 4 (con°. Vice-county distrib
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Table 4 (cont). Vice-county distrib
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Computerisation and validation Havi
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dominance of one individual over an
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RESIDENT SPECIES Description Habita
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Calopteryx splendens (Harris) Bande
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Description Flight periods Status a
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Description Lestes dryas Kirby Scar
Page 51 and 52: Platycnemis pennipes (Pallas) White
Page 53 and 54: Pyrrhosoma nymphula (Sulzer) 1975-9
Page 55 and 56: Erythromma najas (Hansemann) 1975-9
Page 57 and 58: Coenagrion mercuriale (Charpentier)
Page 59 and 60: Coenagrion scituluni (Rambur) Daint
Page 61 and 62: Coenagrion hastulatuni (Charpentier
Page 63 and 64: Coenagrion lunulatum (Charpentier)
Page 65 and 66: Coenagrion armatum (Charpentier) No
Page 67 and 68: Coenagrion puella (Linnaeus) Azuxe
Page 69 and 70: Coenagrion pulchellum (Vander Linde
Page 71 and 72: Enallagma cyathigerurn (Charpentier
Page 73 and 74: Ischnura pumilio (Charpentier) Scar
Page 75 and 76: Ischnura elegans (Vander Linden) 19
Page 77 and 78: Ceriagrion tenellurn (Villers) 1975
Page 79 and 80: Aeshna caerulea (Strom) Azure hawke
Page 81 and 82: Aeshna juncea (Linnaeus) Common haw
Page 83 and 84: Montiaghs Moss, near Aghalee, Co An
Page 85 and 86: Sundon Springs chalk quarry, near L
Page 87 and 88: PLATE 1 Calopteryxvirgo adult PLATE
Page 89 and 90: PLATE 13 Libellula fulva adult PLAT
Page 91 and 92: Aeshna mixta Latreile Migrant hawke
Page 93 and 94: Aeshna cyanea (Muller) Southern haw
Page 95 and 96: Aeshna grandis (Linnaeus) Brown haw
Page 97 and 98: Aeshna isosceles (Muller) Norfolk h
Page 99 and 100: Anax imperator Leach Emperor dragon
Page 101: Brachytron pratense (Muller) Hairy
Page 105 and 106: Cordulegaster boltonii (Donovan) Go
Page 107 and 108: Cordulia aenea (Lin.naens) Downy em
Page 109 and 110: Somatochlora metallica (Vander Lind
Page 111 and 112: Somatochlora arctica (Zetterstedt)
Page 113 and 114: Oxygastra curtisii (Dale) Orange-sp
Page 115 and 116: Libellula quadrimaculata Linnaeus 1
Page 117 and 118: Libellula fulva Mailer Scarce chase
Page 119 and 120: Libellula depressa Linnaeus 1975-90
Page 121 and 122: Orthetrum cancellatum (Linnaeus) 19
Page 123 and 124: Orthetrum coerulescens (Fabricius)
Page 125 and 126: Sympetrum striolaturn (Charpentier)
Page 127 and 128: Sympetrum sanguineum (Muller) Ruddy
Page 129 and 130: Sympetruni danae (Sulzer) 1975-90 o
Page 131 and 132: Leuconhinia dubia (Vander Linden) W
Page 133 and 134: IMIVLIGRANTS AND ACCIDENTAL SPECIES
Page 135 and 136: POSSIBLE ADDITIONS TO THE BRITISH A
Page 137 and 138: SEASONAL OCCURRENCE PREVIOUS REPRES
Page 139 and 140: 700 600 500 400 300. 200 100 0 90 8
Page 141 and 142: 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 90 80 70 60 50
Page 143 and 144: Finally, differences in recorder be
Page 145 and 146: ODONATA LOCALITY 6411 V10E-COUNTY N
Page 147 and 148: Particularly in the case of residen
Page 149 and 150: conditions and which may be of grea
Page 151 and 152: 1960s from its single locality alon
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pond. One of the authors did this o
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REFERENCES Aguilar, J. d', Dommange
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Gabb, R. & Kitching, D. 1992. The d
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Coenagrion rnercuriale (Charpentier
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Dee'. Transactions of the Natural H
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Circumboreal Occurring in a band en
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Marl A whitish clay soil with a hig
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Vulvar scale WATCH Weald Wheel posi
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Appendix 2. LIST OF PLANT NAMES Pla
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Libefiula depressa 5,6,14,17,18,19,
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