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| Biota of New Zealand |
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New Zealand is home to a limited variety (17 species) of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), which can be identified based on the appearance of the adult or of the aquatic larva. Of the sixteen species assessed on the IUCN red list, all are considered of least concern.
In 1981 thirteen species were understood to reside in New Zealand, with ten species of dragonfly and three damselflies. According to Dragonflies and Damselflies of New Zealand (2019) this number had by then risen to fourteen, although that count excluded Xanthocnemis tuanuii , found on the remote Chatham Islands; and Pantala flavescens , which occasionally passes through but does not breed in New Zealand; with these two species included in the list the number comes to sixteen. The same year as Dragonflies and Damselflies of New Zealand was released, a new species of dragonfly was described, bringing the species count up to seventeen: Hemicordulia armstrongi was described from specimens previously understood to be H. australiae; it is believed that H. australiae does indeed still occur in New Zealand as well.
| Order | Species name | Common name | Endemic? | Conservation status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anisoptera Dragonflies | ||||
| Adversaeschna brevistyla | Lancer dragonfly [1] | No | LC [1] | |
| Antipodochlora braueri | Dusk dragonfly [2] | Yes | LC [2] | |
| Anax papuensis | Baron dragonfly [3] | No | LC [3] | |
| Diplacodes bipunctata | Red percher dragonfly [4] | No | LC [4] | |
| Hemicordulia australiae | Sentry dragonfly [5] | No | LC [5] | |
| Hemicordulia armstrongi [a] | — | Maybe | NE | |
| Pantala flavescens | Wandering glider [7] | No | LC [7] | |
| Procordulia smithii | Ranger dragonfly [8] | Yes | LC [8] | |
| Procordulia grayi | Yellow spotted dragonfly [9] | Yes | LC [9] | |
| Tramea transmarina | Red glider dragonfly [10] | No | LC [10] | |
| Tramea loewii | Common glider [11] | No | LC [11] | |
| Uropetala carovei | Bush giant dragonfly [12] | Yes | LC [12] | |
| Uropetala chiltoni | Mountain giant dragonfly [13] | Yes | LC [13] | |
| Zygoptera Damselflies | ||||
| Austrolestes colensonis | Blue damselfly [14] | Yes | LC [14] | |
| Ischnura aurora | Gossamer damselfly [15] | No | LC [15] | |
| Xanthocnemis zealandica | Common redcoat damselfly [16] | Yes | LC [16] | |
| Xanthocnemis tuanuii | Chatham redcoat damselfly [17] | Yes | LC [17] |