Dragonflies (order Odonata) are divided into two distinct sub-orders, the Zygoptera or Damselflies and the Anisoptera or Dragonflies.
You can find a description of these sub-orders on the "Damselflies" and "Dragonflies" pages. Each species that has been recorded in Great Britain and Ireland is described and illustrated on a separate page. The list below is your key to accessing these descriptions. Click on a species name to see the species description. There you will find photographs, and written description, details of habitat, distribution and status and notes about similar species.
Please note that this site is not meant to be a substitute for a good field guide when trying to identify species. There are several good identification guides available, see the booklist for details.
David Goddard (with help from Tim Beynon) has put together a guide for assistance with pronunciation of Latin names.
The Full Checklist
The full list of UK species is presented here (with English and Latin names). You can use this list to navigate to a particular species detail page. Species with a Management Fact File are indicated by [MFF]. You can use this indication to navigate directly to their Management Fact File.
Click on images to enlarge.