''Gomphus pulchellus'', the western 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 Gomphidae. It is found in Western

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, although absent in the British isles. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

are clean ponds and canals, clay and mud holes. The species is 47–50 mm long. It is the only Gomphidae that lacks the "club-shaped" abdomen, in spite of its name. As an adult, it is mainly pale olive-green with blue eyes. It emerges early in spring, can be seen as soon as the end of March in the South of France and flies until August depending on the location. File:Gomphus pulchellus male Weinsberg 20090608 1.jpg, Male File:Gomphus puchellus0805.jpg, Female, South of France File:Gomphus-pulchellus03 0905.jpg, In wheel, south of France

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External links

Libellennet
Gomphidae Dragonflies of Europe Insects described in 1840 {{Gomphidae-stub