Emperor Dragonfly

Anax imperator

Leach, 1815

National assessment

Increasing Least concern

Local assessment

Stable

National recording scheme

British Dragonfly Society

Last updated

2025-07-31

Statistics

Occurrences

2,721 since 2000 3,125 all time

Occupied 1 km squares

318 since 2000 369 all time

Earliest occurrence

1941

Latest occurrence

2024

Distribution

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Occurrence since 1950

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This chart should not be relied upon for an indication of species status as variations in recording effort can heavily affect the count of occurrences and occupied 1km squares.

References

Daguet, C.A., French, G.C. and Taylor, P. (2008). The Odonata Red Data List for Great Britain. Species Status 11; 1-34. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough.

Taylor, P., Smallshire, D., Parr, A.J., Brooks, S.J., Cham, S.A., Colver, E.F., Harvey, M., Hepper, D., Isaac, N.J.B., Logie, M.W., McFerran, D., McKenna, F., Nelson, B. & Roy, D.B. 2021. State of Dragonflies in Britain and Ireland 2021. British Dragonfly Society, Old Weston, Huntingdon. https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/recording/state-of-dragonflies-2021/

Data sources

Local species recorders

British Dragonfly Society Recording Scheme. Dragonfly records from the British Dragonfly Society Recording Scheme. Licenced under CC-BY https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.

Buglife.

Environment Agency. Biosys Extract - Central, East, North Lincolnshire and Welland Sub-catchments 2005-2015 (INVERT). Licenced under OGL http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3.

Environment Agency. Biosys Extract - Central, East, North Lincolnshire and Welland Sub-catchments 2016. Licenced under OGL http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3.

Environment Agency. Biosys Extract - Central, East, North Lincolnshire and Welland Sub-catchments 2017. Licenced under OGL http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3.

Environment Agency. Biosys Extract - Fenland Natural Area 1990-2011. Licenced under OGL http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3.

Environment Agency. Biosys Extract - North Lincolnshire Sub-catchment 1985-2012. Licenced under OGL http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3.

Environment Agency. Freshwater river macroinvertebrate surveys (Biosys). Licenced under OGL http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3.

Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership.

Lapwings Consultants.

Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union.

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Odonata records from RSPB Reserves 1970-2009. Licenced under CC-BY https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.

Sustainable Caistor.

Cite this page

Craythorne, H. (2025). Anax imperator Leach, 1815 species profile, in Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership (ed.) Greater Lincolnshire species data bank. Available at: http://glincsson.glnp.org.uk/view?taxon_list_item_key=NBNORG0000008989 (Accessed 08 November 2025).