Cobra Clubtail Dragonfly

Clubtail dragonflies are part of the family Gomphidae. They get their name from the enlarged tip at the end of the abdomen that many have. However not all clubtails have a club tail. The easiest way to tell whether a dragonfly is a member of the Gomphidae family is to see whether the eyes are separated. Gomphidae are the only dragonflies with separated eyes.

Many Gomphidae are found along rivers. The cobra clubtail pictured here is typically a river species. The nymphs prefer large rivers usually with a sandy bottom. I photographed this dragonfly at Damn Number One on the Mississippi River. The tip of the cobra clubtail is larger then most other clubtails found in this area. Only the skillet clubtail has a wider tip on their abdomen. That makes the cobra clubtail one of the easier clubtails to identify.