| Plains clubtail | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Infraorder: | Anisoptera |
| Family: | Gomphidae |
| Genus: | Gomphurus |
| Species: | G. externus |
| Binomial name | |
| Gomphurus externus (Hagen in Selys, 1858) | |
| Synonyms | |
Gomphus externus | |
Gomphurus externus, the plains clubtail, is a species of dragonfly in the family Gomphidae.
The plains clubtail is a medium to large dragonfly with a length of 2 1/16 to 2 3/8 inches (52 to 60 mm). The base of this dragonfly is brownish black. Its face is marked with yellow. The top of its thorax behind its head is marked with a parallel pair of yellow stripes, and every side of the thorax is marked with several diagonal yellow stripes. The base of its wings may be clouded with yellow where they attach to its body. Its abdomen is black and is marked with a line of yellow dashes along the top. As with other clubtails, the segments at the tip of its abdomen are wider than the rest.
The nymph of the plains clubtail is a large in size with a maximum length of 1 5/16 inches (33 mm). Its abdomen is thick for most of its length, then tapers to a rounded point at the end of segment ten. On each side of abdominal segments six through nine, there is a single, rear-facing spine. This species has no dorsal hooks.
Plains clubtails prefer moderately flowing rivers and large streams with muddy bottoms, and occasionally lakes.
The plains clubtail has many flight seasons, mid-July to mid-August is the most common. Another flight season it has is early April to mid-August. This species is most common in spring. In Wisconsin, they have been documented to have a flight season from early June to mid-July.
Plains clubtails will feed on almost any soft-bodied flying insect such as mosquitoes, flies, butterflies, moths, mayflies, and flying ants, termites or even other dragonflies.
Nymphs of plains clubtails feed on a wide variety of aquatic insects, including mosquito larvae, other aquatic fly larvae, mayfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp. They will sometimes eat small fish and tadpoles.
Plains clubtail nymphs can be very selective in their habitat choice and will often occur only in certain stretches of a particular river or stream. They will burrow into the sand or mud, leaving the upturned tip of their abdomen exposed. This helps them to breathe while buried by pumping water in and out of the tip of the abdomen. Unlike most species this dragonfly nymphs emerge as adults during the day. Adults generally fly from mid-July to mid-August. They also have other flight periods. These dragonflies can not tolerate cooler temperatures and are rarely seen flying on cool or cloudy days. Hunting occurs from rocks or bare sand from which they rest on. They perch with their abdomen elevated and their wings drooping so the tips just touch the ground.
After when both genders mate, the female flies singly, without the male attached, to lay her eggs by dipping the tip of her abdomen into rivers, lakes, or slow streams while hovering above it. Lab experiments for this species have found that females are capable of laying over 5000 eggs.
The plains clubtail is most similar to Tamaulipan and pronghorn clubtails. The Tamaulipan clubtail is larger and darker with wider brown thoracic stripes and females lack the erect yellow spines at every end of the postocellar ridge. The pronghorn clubtail is smaller, it may not always be reliably separated from the plains clubtail. The male pronghorn clubtail has an epiproct that is barely wider than its cerci. The sulphur-tipped clubtail is smaller with yellow on the femora and more yellow on the club.
The populations of plains clubtails are widespread, abundant, and secure.
Odonata is an order of flying insects that includes the dragonflies and damselflies. Members of the group first appeared during the Triassic, though members of their total group, Odonatoptera, first appeared in Late Carboniferous.
Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along the body when at rest, unlike dragonflies which hold the wings flat and away from the body. An ancient group, damselflies have existed since at least the Lower Permian beginning about 299 million years ago, and are found on every continent except Antarctica.
The black-tailed skimmer is a dragonfly belonging to the family Libellulidae.
The Gomphidae are a family of dragonflies commonly referred to as clubtails or club-tailed dragonflies. The family contains about 90 genera and 900 species found across North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The name refers to the club-like widening of the end of the abdomen. However, this club is usually less pronounced in females and is entirely absent in some species.
Gomphus is a genus of clubtail dragonflies in the family Gomphidae.
Sympetrum vicinum, the yellow-legged meadowhawk or autumn meadowhawk, is a member of the Libellulidae family. It grows to 26–35 mm long.
Gomphus vulgatissimus, the common clubtail, is a medium-sized species of dragonfly in the family Gomphidae. It is found in most of Europe, and is present now in the south of France. Its natural habitats are clean, slow moving streaming rivers and creeks with sandy soil. It can be seen from mid-April in the south to August. Once they hatched out of water, they live shortly. As the common name suggests, this medium-sized species has a distinctive club-shaped abdomen. The males are black with extensive yellow markings on the thorax and abdomen which turn green as the insect ages. The females are black with extensive yellow markings. In the British Isles the adult flight period extends from mid May to early July.
The band-winged meadowhawk is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum belonging to the family Libellulidae.
The dot-tailed whiteface is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is also one of the most common and widespread in the genus Leucorrhinia.
The desert whitetail is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. P. subornata is often put into the genus Libellula.
Sympetrum madidum, the red-veined meadowhawk, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae.
The boreal bluet is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae.
Progomphus borealis is a species of dragonfly in the family Gomphidae. This dragonfly species is commonly known as the gray sanddragon.
Phanogomphus graslinellus is a species of dragonfly in the family Gomphidae. This species is commonly known as the pronghorn clubtail.
The Hudsonian whiteface is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Its common name comes from where it is found, Hudson Bay.
Burmagomphus pyramidalis, sinuate clubtail, is a species of dragonfly in the family Gomphidae. It is found in India and Sri Lanka. There are 2 subspecies, where they are geographically separated.
The black marsh skimmer, or light-tipped demon, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Phanogomphus is a genus of clubtails in the family Gomphidae found in North America. There are about 17 described species in Phanogomphus.
Gomphurus is a genus of clubtails in the family of dragonflies known as Gomphidae. There are about 13 described species in Gomphurus.
Davidioides martini, Syrandiri clubtail, is a species of dragonfly in the family Gomphidae. It is known only from the Western Ghats of India.
