Gomphurus ventricosus

Gomphurus ventricosus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Suborder: Anisoptera
Family: Gomphidae
Genus: Gomphurus
Species:
G. ventricosus
Binomial name
Gomphurus ventricosus
(Walsh, 1863)

Gomphurus ventricosus, the skillet clubtail, is a species of dragonfly in the family Gomphidae. It is found in south-eastern Canada and northeastern United States. It is considered rare across its range.

Prior to taxonomic revision in 2018, this species was known as Gomphus ventricosus.

Description

The skillet clubtail is a black and yellow dragonfly with green to turquoise eyes and unmarked face. The abdomen has longitudinal yellow stripes and ends in a distinctively wide yellow-spotted "club". Males and females are similar, although the female's club is somewhat smaller.

The club on this species is wider than its thorax and comparatively the widest of any clubtail.

Lateral view
Face
Club

Exuviae are unpatterned, with granular surface, and 28–29 millimetres (1.1–1.1 in) long.

Etymology

The genus name Gomphurus comes from Gomphus ("bolt" or "nail") and "tail", referring to the wide clubs in this genus. The specific epithet ventricosus ("paunch", "bloated") probably a reference to the remarkably wide club of this species.

The common name "skillet clubtail" is similar, with the thin abdomen and wide club looking like a frying pan.

Behavior

Males make short flights over the water, returning to perch in inconspicuous places. It also feeds in weedy fields near breeding habitat.

Distribution

The skillet clubtail can be found from Kentucky and Virginia north to Minnesota, Michigan, and Vermont. Its range also includes small areas in southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

Habitat

Skillet clubtails inhabit large pristine rocky rivers with fine sediment, usually slow to moderate current.

References

  1. ↑ Paulson, D.R. (2017) [amended version of 2018 assessment]. "Gomphurus ventricosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017 e.T51179182A125527572. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T51179182A125527572.en. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Paulson, Dennis (2011). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East. Princeton Field Guides.
  3. 1 2 3 Paulson, Dennis R.; Dunkle, Sidney W.; Johnson, Jim T. (2024). A Checklist of North American Odonata (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  4. 1 2 LeGrand, Harry E.; Howard, Thomas E.; Petranka, John; Shields, Mark A. (2025). "The Odonata of North Carolina, Part 2: Anisoptera". Bulletin of American Odonatology. 14 (3): 79–167.
  5. ↑ Louton, J. A. (1983). "The larva of Gomphurus ventricosus (Walsh), and comments on relationships within the genus (Anisoptera: Gomphidae)". Odonatologica. 12 (1): 83–86.