''Gomphurus externus'', the plains clubtail, is a species of

dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Gomphidae.

Characteristics

Adult

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.

Nymph

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.

Geographical range

*United States: (

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Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

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Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

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Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

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Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

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Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

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Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

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Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

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Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

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Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

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Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

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North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

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New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

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South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

• Texas •

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Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

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Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

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Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

) *Canada: (

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

)

Habitat

Plains clubtails prefer moderately flowing rivers and large streams with muddy bottoms, and occasionally lakes.

Flight season

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.

Diet

Adult

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.

Nymph

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.

Ecology

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.

Reproduction

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.

Similar species

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.

Conservation

The populations of plains clubtails are widespread, abundant, and secure.

References

Ordonates Frame

OdonataCentral

Gomphus externus (Plains Clubtail)

Wisconsin Odonata Survey – Gomphus externus
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q10507156, from2=Q749112 Gomphidae Odonata of North America Insects described in 1858