GOMPHIDAE - Clubtail Dragonflies
- The Clubtails Dragonflies live in streams particularly in open forest. They are medium to large in size, with body length 40-70mm. They are easily recognized by their smaller and widely separated eyes. They are green or yellow in colour with black strips. They have enlarge area in the end of abdomen and this is why they are commonly called Clubtails.
The larvae burrow in the bottom sediments of the streams or wave washed shores. Most species the mature larval crawls out onto the shore for emergence instead climbing up the vegetations. Adults usually sit on vegetations under the sun.
- Pale Hunter
- Austrogomphus amphiclitus, body length 50mm
- This dragonfly has the bright green eyes, yellow thorax and yellow abdomen. There is the black pattern on its thorax and abdomen. It wings are clear with yellowish-brown in colour. We took those photos when it rested on the plants near the Bulimba Creek. For most information please go to our Pale Hunter Dragonflies page.
- Twin Spot Hunter, Melaleuca Hunter
- Austrogomphus (Austroepigomphus) melaleucae, male, female, body length 45mm
- This Clubtail Dragonfly looks like the Pale Hunter Dragonflies except it is smaller and has more black pattern on its thorax. Notice the yellow spots on thorax below each wings. We sometimes find them on Bulimba Creek. More information click here.
- Vicetail
- Hemigomphus gouldii or Hemigomphus heteroclytus, body length 45mm
- We collected this specimen on Moolabin Creek in mid summer. This dragonfly look similar to Pale Hunter and
- Twin Spot Hunter but without the thick yellow ring on its clubbed tail. Its pale yellow anal appendages are just like a vice.
- Reference:
- 1. The Australian Dragonflies - CSIRO, Watson, Theisinger & Abbey,1991, p196.
- 2. A Field Guide to Dragonflies of South East Queensland - Ric Nattrass, 2006, p60.
- 3. The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia - CSIRO, Günther Theischinger and John Hawking, 2006, p164.
