''Ophiogomphus howei'', the pygmy snaketail, 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
endemic to the
United States. Its natural
habitat is
rivers.
Characteristics
Pygmy snaketails are the smallest ''
Ophiogomphus'' in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, where the length of the abdomen is approximately 35 mm and hindwing is approximately 22 mm.
Life history
The pygmy snaketail breed in
streams
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...
and
rivers
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
. The
nymphs emerge on mud banks or low
vegetation that is close to the water’s edge in areas of the stream where the current is slower. The nymphs emerge over a 4 to 6 day period.
Habitat
Pygmy snaketails live in medium to large fast-flowing rivers and streams. The surrounding areas are undisturbed forested areas with minimal
agriculture. The nymphs live in the flowing water and will burrow into the substrate which is a trait common to species in
Gomphidae.
Range
Pygmy snaketail ranges are in two geographical areas in North America. The western population is found in the
Great Lakes region in the northern half of
Wisconsin. While the eastern population is located from
New Brunswick, Canada to
South Carolina, United States and the western most part reaching
Kentucky. Within the range, they are discontinuous and found in localized areas along limited stretches of certain river systems.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1305349
Insects of the United States
Ophiogomphus
Insects described in 1924
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot