Dragonfly ID: The Clubtails
| Gomphidae: Clubtails and Snaketails Grappletail Great Basin Snaketail Pacific Clubtail Pale Snaketail Two-striped Forceptail Dragonfly Facts Dragonfly Pictures |
Most clubtail species are found east of the Rocky Mountains and are often recognized by their common names such as clubtail, snaketail, ringtail and grappletail.
None of the species are very widespread, making identification region specific.
Generally speaking, clubtails live near streams and open forests. They are medium to large in size. and species identification issues tends to be more confusing within genus rather than among the dozen or so genera.
In males, the end of the abdomen (tail part) is club-like, larger than the rest of the abdomen, explaining the group's common name.
Clubtail eyes provide one of the best identification starting points. They are spread out, much like a damselfly.
The picture on the left shows a clubtail with a large gap on the head between the eyes.
Abdomen color of different species varies from the dark solid color of the Grappletail to the green thorax of the Pale Snaketail. Many species have blue or green eyes, similar to the Emeralds.
The links in the box point to a couple of different West Coast Gomphidae species.
© 2007-2009. Patricia A. Michaels