The Gomphidae are a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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

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, Australia, and Africa. The name refers to the club-like widening of the end of the abdomen (abdominal segments 7 through 9). However, this club is usually less pronounced in females and is entirely absent in some species.

Etymology

The name is from Greek ''gomphos'', "bolt, nail", for the shape of the insect's abdomen.

Characteristics

Clubtails have small, widely separated

compound eye A compound eye is a Eye, visual organ found in arthropods such as insects and crustaceans. It may consist of thousands of ommatidium, ommatidia, which are tiny independent photoreception units that consist of a cornea, lens (anatomy), lens, and p ...

s, a trait they share with the

Petaluridae The petaltails of the family Petaluridae are among the most ancient of the extant true dragonfly, dragonflies (infraorder Anisoptera), having fossil members from as early as the Jurassic, over 150 million years ago. A 2024 molecular phylogeny fou ...

and with

damselflies Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies (which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Epiprocta) but are usually smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the win ...

. The eyes are blue, turquoise, or green. The thorax in most species is pale with dark stripes, and the pattern of the stripes is often diagnostic. They lack the bright metallic colors of many dragonfly groups and are mostly cryptically colored to avoid detection and little difference between the sexes is seen. Adults are usually from in length; there are 6 specific variations that are native to Africa alone, and vary from in length; there are also 97 varieties specific to North America as well. Clubtails are fast-flying dragonflies with short flight seasons. They spend much time at rest, perching in a suitable position to dart forth to

prey Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not ki ...

on flying insects. They tend to perch on the ground or on leaves with the abdomen sloping up and its tip curling down a little. Larger species may perch with a drooping abdomen or lie flat on a leaf. Another stance adopted by clubtails perching in the open is "obelisking", standing with the abdomen raised vertically, a posture adopted otherwise only by the skimmers. Most clubtails breed in streams, rivers, or lakes. The nymphs are unusual in having a flat mentum, part of the mouthparts, and their antennae have only four segments. They burrow in the sediment at the bottom of the water body, with the nymphs of the dragonhunter (''Hagenius brevistylus'') living among damp bark and leaf litter at the edge of the water. Some larvae variations actually differ from this typical burrowing. Some will only come out during daytime, which differs from the predominant nighttime emergence. Some larvae also will lay on flat surfaces, whereas most larvae prefer a vertical-type surface.

Gallery

File:IC Gomphidae wing.jpg, Gomphidae

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

structure: Note the similar-sized triangles of the front and hind wings and the widely separate eyes. File:Yellow striped hunter mating.jpg, Pair of yellow-striped hunters mating File:Common Clubtail (Ictinogomphus rapax) W IMG 0224.jpg, Common clubtail, '' Ictinogomphus rapax'' File:XN Gomphus vulgatissimus 689.jpg, '' Gomphus vulgatissimus'', showing the "clubbed" abdomen characteristic of the family File:Gomphus vulgatissimus eyes 004b.jpg, The common clubtail ''Gomphus vulgatissimus'' head with widely separated

eyes An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

File:Lined Hooktail Paragomphus lineatus Male.jpg, '' Paragomphus lineatus'', male File:Lined Hooktail Paragomphus lineatus Female.jpg, '' Paragomphus lineatus'', female

Taxonomy

Gomphidae has over 80 genera and includes more than 900 species, and is the only family in the superfamily Gomphoidea.

Genera

These genera belong to the family Gomphidae. * '' Acrogomphus'' Laidlaw, 1925 * '' Agriogomphus'' Selys, 1869 * '' Amphigomphus'' Chao, 1954 * '' Anisogomphus'' Selys, 1858 * '' Anomalophlebia'' Belle, 1995 * '' Anormogomphus'' Selys, 1854 * '' Antipodogomphus'' Fraser, 1951 * '' Aphylla'' Selys, 1854 * '' Archaeogomphus'' Williamson, 1919 * '' Arigomphus'' Needham, 1897 * '' Armagomphus'' Carle, 1986 * '' Asiagomphus'' Asahina, 1985 * '' Austroepigomphus'' Fraser, 1951 * '' Austrogomphus'' Selys, 1854 * '' Brasiliogomphus'' Belle, 1995 * '' Burmagomphus'' Williamson, 1907 * '' Cacoides'' Cowley, 1934 * '' Ceratogomphus'' Selys, 1854 * '' Cinitogomphus'' Pinhey, 1964 * '' Cornigomphus'' Martin, 1907 * '' Crenigomphus'' Selys, 1892 * '' Cyanogomphus'' Selys, 1873 * '' Cyclogomphus'' Selys, 1854 * '' Davidioides'' Fraser, 1924 * '' Davidius'' Selys, 1878 * '' Desmogomphus'' Williamson, 1920 * '' Diaphlebia'' Selys, 1854 * '' Diastatomma'' Burmeister, 1839 * '' Dromogomphus'' Selys, 1854 * '' Dubitogomphus'' Fraser, 1940 * '' Ebegomphus'' Needham, 1944 * '' Eogomphus'' Needham, 1941 * '' Epigomphus'' Hagen in Selys, 1854 * '' Erpetogomphus'' Selys, 1858 * '' Euthygomphus'' Kosterin, 2016 * '' Fukienogomphus'' Chao, 1954 * '' Gastrogomphus'' Needham, 1941 * '' Gomphidia'' Selys, 1854 * '' Gomphidictinus'' Fraser, 1942 * '' Gomphoides'' Selys, 1854 * '' Gomphurus'' Needham, 1901 * '' Gomphus'' Leach in Brewester, 1815 * '' Hagenius'' Selys, 1854 * '' Heliogomphus'' Laidlaw, 1922 * '' Hemigomphus'' Selys, 1854 * '' Hylogomphus'' Needham, Westfall & May, 2000 * '' Ictinogomphus'' Cowley, 1934 * '' Idiogomphoides'' Belle, 1984 * '' Isomma'' Selys, 1892 * '' Labrogomphus'' Needham, 1931 * '' Lamelligomphus'' Fraser, 1922 * '' Lanthus'' Needham, 1897 * '' Leptogomphus'' Selys, 1878 * '' Lestinogomphus'' Martin, 1911 * '' Lindenia'' de Haan, 1826 * '' Macrogomphus'' Selys, 1858 * '' Malgassogomphus'' Cammaerts, 1987 * '' Mastigogomphus'' Cammaerts, 2004 * '' Megalogomphus'' Campion, 1923 * '' Melanocacus'' Belle, 1986 * '' Melligomphus'' Chao, 1990 * '' Merogomphus'' Martin, 1904 * '' Microgomphus'' Selys, 1858 * '' Mitragomphus'' Needham, 1944 * '' Neogomphus'' Selys, 1858 * '' Nepogomphoides'' Fraser, 1934 * '' Nepogomphus'' Fraser, 1934 * '' Neurogomphus'' Karsch, 1890 * '' Nihonogomphus'' Oguma, 1926 * '' Notogomphus'' Selys, 1858 * '' Nychogomphus'' Carle, 1986 * '' Octogomphus'' Selys, 1873 * '' Odontogomphus'' Watson, 1991 * '' Onychogomphus'' Selys, 1854 * '' Ophiogomphus'' Selys, 1854 * '' Orientogomphus'' Chao & Xu, 1987 * '' Paragomphus'' Cowley, 1934 * '' Perigomphus'' Belle, 1972 * '' Perissogomphus'' Laidlaw, 1922 * '' Peruviogomphus'' Klots, 1944 * '' Phaenandrogomphus'' Lieftinck, 1964 * '' Phanogomphus'' Carle, 1986 * '' Phyllocycla'' Calvert, 1948 * '' Phyllogomphoides'' Belle, 1970 * '' Phyllogomphus'' Selys, 1854 * '' Platygomphus'' Selys, 1854 * '' Praeviogomphus'' Belle, 1995 * '' Progomphus'' Selys, 1854 * '' Scalmogomphus'' Chao, 1990 * '' Shaogomphus'' Chao, 1984 * '' Sieboldius'' Selys, 1854 * '' Sinictinogomphus'' Fraser, 1939 * '' Sinogomphus'' May, 1935 * '' Stenogomphurus'' Carle, 1986 * '' Stylogomphus'' Fraser, 1922 * '' Stylurus'' Needham, 1897 * '' Tibiagomphus'' Belle, 1992 * '' Tragogomphus'' Sjöstedt, 1899 * '' Trigomphus'' Bartenev, 1911 * '' Zephyrogomphus'' Watson, 1991 * '' Zonophora'' Selys, 1854

Fossil genera

* †'' Auroradraco'' Archibald and Cannings 2019 Kamloops Group, Canada,

Ypresian In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age (geology), age or lowest stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by th ...

* †'' Burmalindenia'' Schädel and Bechly 2016

Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. Th ...

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy's (ICS) geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age (geology), age of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or the lowest stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Cretace ...

* †'' Cratolindenia'' Bechly 2000

Crato Formation The Crato Formation is a geologic formation (stratigraphy), formation of Early Cretaceous (Aptian) age in northeastern Brazil's Araripe Basin. It is an important Lagerstätten, Lagerstätte (undisturbed fossil accumulation) for palaeontology, pa ...

, Brazil,

Aptian The Aptian is an age (geology), age in the geologic timescale or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), S ...

* †'' Gunterbechya'' Huang et al. 2019

* †'' Nannogomphus'' Handlirsch 1906

References

External links

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)Gomphidae, CLUBTAILS
Discover Life {{Authority control Gomphoidea Odonata families Taxa named by Jules Pierre Rambur Insects described in 1842 Dragonflies