A clubtail dragonfly------dragon hunter

Beautifully captured Kai. I don't see any clubtails around here so far in SC. I guess its just not being in the right places. YOu got great detail and excellent sharpness here with a very clean bg.

Very nice, Kai. A little fill flash might help, but I'd be thrilled to call this mine.

You <i>might</i> find <a href="http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/insects/dfly/va/toc.htm" target="_blank">this link</a> somewhat helpful. Their odonata species account documentation is not very complete (it appears only certain counties have any information reported) but there's not much else out there with this type of information.

This is a very nice image. I especially like the DOF that shows good detail to the tips of the wings. What camera, lens and exposure did you use?

This is a male Hagenius brevistylus, the largest Gomphid, or Clubtail in North America. Its English name is Dragon Hunter because it specializes in capturing and eating other dragonflies.

Most Clubtails are stream species, so while they may seem rare in most habitats, a good variety of species should be found on streams that are not too badly polluted or silted.

The site that Jay listed is terribly incomplete because they only list species/county records that have been published and that may or may not be varified by voucher specimens.

The Dragonfly Society of the Americas has just finished publishing county dot-maps for all the North American species of Odonates in "Bulletin of American Odonatology" Vol. 7, No. 4 and Vol. 8 Nos. 1-3. These distribution maps are the result of an on-going project that officially started about 10 years ago. Anyone interested in obtaining copies can email me for contact information: svalley2@comcast.net

Steve

Hi, Jay,
Thanks for the site. It is very good for me.

Hi, Steve,
Thank you very much for the knowledge on this guy. I certainly want a copy. I am sending an email to you.

Kai

Cool shot I dont see many (or any )either.Is this a new one with wings unfolding

Fantastic!

Dave,
This one actually had broken wings (the side you can't see from this image).

The comments from Steve (few posts above) gave me quite a bit education on this guy.

Kai

Hi Kai, A great shot you have here. I've only ever seen one species of clubtail, the Lancet, which is fairly common in my area. Great color and detail, with a clean background. Well done!