The Easternmost Record of Western Clubtail in the Czech Republic

One of the greatest pleasant surprises of our research is the observation and documentation of a previously unrecorded dragonfly species at the Cep I. and Cep II. sandpits near Suchdol nad Lužnicí. It is the Western Clubtail (Gomphus pulchellus), and this record represents the new easternmost occurrence of the species in the Czech Republic.

This black and yellow dragonfly can most often be seen gracefully skimming just above the water surface along the shores. The Western Clubtail inhabits various slow-flowing or standing waters, but never fast-flowing rivers. It typically colonizes oxbow lakes, shallow pools, or reservoirs with gently sloping banks. Its larvae require shallow, sun-warmed waters with sandy bottoms and sparse vegetation. For their successful development, it is essential that such water bodies contain as few fish as possible, since fish pose a deadly threat to the tiny and vulnerable larvae. This is why these rare inhabitants of our waters likely depend on the small pools within sandpits, where there is no intensive fish farming that would otherwise destroy their most fragile life stages.

The species is common in southwestern Europe, but since the 20th century it has been gradually expanding north and east of the Rhine, probably in response to suitable artificial habitats such as sandpits. There is a record of a Western Clubtail observed in 1967 at pond Prostřední u Cepu, only a few kilometers west of Cep I and Cep II. However, this record is not considered sufficiently verified, as the captured specimen was not preserved. So only now we have been able to reliably confirm the occurrence of this species in the area. We even managed to document its reproduction here.

The distribution ranges of animals are never static. They change dynamically, and new species may arrive, some of which behave invasively, reproduce rapidly, and displace native fauna. But not all newcomers are invasive or harmful. Some, by spreading, point to positive environmental changes and the presence of valuable new habitats. The Western Clubtail is such a species, and we are honored to welcome it at the Cep I and Cep II sandpits as proof that nature-friendly restoration of sandpits makes sense and works beautifully here.