Dragonflies of Spain – a guide to the Odonata

Spain is the fourth largest country in Europe, with just over 500,000 square kilometers. Together with Portugal, it belongs to the Iberian Peninsula, which is the westernmost continental area of Eurasia and one of the only three Mediterranean peninsulas in Europe. The Spanish geography is, in fact, more complex, since it includes the Balearic and Canary archipelagos and small enclaves in Africa (Ceuta and Melilla).

Biodiversity of dragonflies in Spain

Such a unique territory is inhabited by 83 species of dragonflies, in addition to three missing species and one doubtful one, which represents 60% of European odonates with recent data available for Macaronesia (Weihrauch et al., 2016) and Balearic Islands (Rebassa & Canyelles, 2022).

General distribution of odonates

Although wetlands are scarce in the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, mass migrations of Anax ephippiger are occasionally observed. As a general rule, widely distributed European dragonflies are generally distributed throughout peninsular Spain (Prunier et al., 2015). Several factors condition the Spanish odonatofauna.
Climate and altitude.

The Spanish climate is characterized by an enormous heterogeneity, with a general gradient of aridity from northwest to southeast. The Atlantic, temperate and humid climate of northwestern Spain (Galicia, Cantabrian coast) is abruptly replaced by Mediterranean conditions – very dry summers – typical of most of Spain (Catalonia, Valencia, Andalusia) and even desert conditions in the southeast (Murcia, eastern Andalusia). Between the coasts, two inland plateaus (Castilla y León and La Mancha) are famous for their continental character and extreme temperatures, while the high mountain ranges (Cantabrian, Pyrenees, Iberian System, Central System, Betic Cordillera) offer a diverse topology and create “climatic islands” all over the territory.

Finally, the large river valleys (Ebro, Tagus, Guadiana, Guadalquivir) can be described as steppe plains, most of which have been transformed into areas of intensive agriculture. They still harbor interesting endorheic wetlands and their estuaries form wetlands of international importance (Doñana, Ebro Delta).

Climate and topography largely explain the diversity of freshwater ecosystems in Spain and, consequently, the richness of dragonflies in both lentic and lotic habitats. In addition, the geographical position of the Iberian Peninsula as a transition point between two continents contributes greatly to its odonatological community, giving rise to a mixture of African and Eurosiberian elements, enriched with endemisms from the southwestern Palearctic.

Mountains and northern highlands

The Iberian Peninsula is isolated from the rest of Europe by the Pyrenees, a natural barrier for some odonates restricted to southern France, but also a refuge for species that do not expand into southern Iberia: Cordulegaster bidentata and Platycnemis pennipes fly over Pyrenean streams while Leucorrhinia dubia, Coenagrion hastulatum and Somatochlora metallica inhabit mountain lagoons (known locally as “ibón”). Other scarce Spanish dragonflies, such as Sympetrum flaveolum, Aeshna juncea and Lestes sponsa, are limited to the northern mountain ranges (Pyrenees, Cantabrian Mountains, Central System) and the Northern Plateau.

Endemic dragonflies in Spain

The isolation of the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of Europe has produced two endemic taxa: a subspecies of Sympetrum vulgatum ibericum distributed mainly in continental Spain (and in slight expansion in the French Pyrenees) and the recently described Onychogomphus cazuma present in the mountains near the Mediterranean coast, approximately from Valencia to Andalusia. The subspecies Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis asturica Ocharan, 1983 is still considered valid by some researchers.

Western European endemics have spread beyond the Pyrenees, mainly associated with gently flowing rivers: Macromia splendens, Gomphus graslinii, Gomphus simillimus show a patchy distribution in Spain, while Boyeria irene, Onychogomphus uncatus, Calopteryx xanthostoma, Platycnemis latipes and P. acutipennis are much more abundant. Finally, Gomphus pulchellus is often associated with lentic habitats.

Some dragonflies are distributed in Western Europe as well as in the Maghreb. Some are much more abundant north of the Strait of Gibraltar, such as Ischnura graellsii, the most common dragonfly in Spain, or Coenagrion mercuriale and Oxygastra curtisii, whose ranges reach northern Europe. On the other hand, Orthetrum nitidinerve and Onychogomphus costae are very common in Morocco and are scattered in Spain.

African expansions in Europe

Unlike the Eurosiberian elements, southern Spain has a rich community of dragonflies of African origin. Most species seem to have arrived several decades ago, such as Brachythemis impartita, Diplacodes lefebvrii, Orthetrum trinacria or Trithemis annulata. Orthetrum chrysostigma was even known in this territory in the 19th century. The latest arrival, Trithemis kirbyi, was detected in Andalusia in 2007 and quickly colonized much of eastern Spain, southeastern Portugal and reached France and even Belgium in 2022.

Mediterranean Corridor

Mediterranean territories are extensive in Spain allowing for a rich dragonfly community: species restricted to the Mediterranean region and adapted to its climatic conditions. Typical Mediterranean aquatic ecosystems: temporary wetlands colonized by Lestes spp. and Sympetrum fonscolombii; small intermittent streams with low flow, especially good for threatened species such as Coenagrion caerulescens, C. mercuriale and Orthetrum nitidinerve; medium-sized rivers with coarse substrates favoring a rich community of gomphids and other southwestern Palearctic endemics.

Onychogomphus costae is an exception, as it is mainly present in lowlands and larger rivers. Sympetrum sinaiticum is distributed throughout the Mediterranean basin, from Spain to the Middle East, but is absent in other European countries. In Spain, it is distributed along the Mediterranean coast and inland. Selysiothemis nigra is another exception that spread from Asia along the Mediterranean basin and is distributed mainly in eastern Spain.

Macaronesia – Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are part of the Macaronesian archipelago. This isolated territory is home to 16 species of dragonflies, including Sympetrum nigrifemur, endemic to the Canary Islands and Madeira, and Zygonyx torridus, which is quite widespread in the Canary Islands. There are four more African species in the area that are not currently found in peninsular Spain: Trithemis arteriosa, Ischnura saharensis, I. senegalensis and the recently detected Orthetrum ransonnetii.

Scarce species

A few dragonflies are very rare in Spain and have an unconventional distribution. Three species are common in most of Europe, but rare and localized in the Iberian Peninsula.

Brachytron pratenseonly present in coastal lagoons, mainly in northern Portugal, Galicia and the Cantabrian coast.

Libellula fulvavery localized, in some points of the coast of Portugal, the east of the Cantabrian coast and the basin of the lake of Banyoles.

Gomphus vulgatissimusonly present in some rivers in the north of the Iberian Peninsula.

Lestes macrostigmaspecialist in salt marshes with strong population fluctuations, is present in Doñana and some inland salt lakes.

Finally, Pantala flavescensthe most extreme rarity, with recent detection of breeding in the Iberian Peninsula (Andalusia and Valencia).

Bibliography

SPAIN PENINSULA. Prunier, F., Brotóns Padilla, M., Cabana, M., Campos, F., Casanueva, P., Chelmick, D., Cordero Rivera, A., Díaz Martínez, C., Evangelio Pinach, J. M., Gainzarain, J. A., García-Moreno, J., Lockwood, M., de los Reyes, L., Mañani, J., Mezquita Aranburu, I., Muddeman, J., Muddeman, J., García-Moreno, J., Lockwood, M., de los Reyes, L., Mañani, J., Mezquita Aranburu, I., Muddeman, J. L., Ocharan, F. J., Otero, F., Prieto-Lillo, E., Zaldívar López, R. (2015). Odonata España provincial lists. Boletín de la Rola, 6: 59-84.

BALEARIC ISLANDS. Rebassa, M. and Canyelles, X. (2022). Update of the status of the odonators of the Balearic Islands. Un repàs a la seva situació dels començaments del segle XX fins a l’actualitat. Bolletí de la Societat d’Història Natural de les Balears, 65: 97-115.

CANARY ARCHIPELAGO. Weihrauch, F., Vieira, V., Cordero Rivera, A. and de Santos Loureiro, N. (2016). Update on the zoogeography of Odonata in the Macaronesian Islands. Rola Bulletin, 8: 9-22.

Dragonflies of Spain: updated listing

The following list of dragonflies and damselflies present in Spain is the most updated (1/7/2024) and was published in the Book of Abstracts of the 7th European Congress of Odonatology. It covers the Spanish territories in the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic Islands and the Canary archipelago, including recent additions and information on breeding (X), doubtful (?), missing (✝) and accidental (Acc.) species. In total, 87 taxa have been observed so far in Spain.

More information is available in the brief history of dentistry in Spain.