Skillet Clubtail

gomphurus ventricosus

The Skillet Clubtail (Gomphurus ventricosus) is a striking and highly specialized dragonfly native to the clean, flowing rivers of eastern North America. What immediately sets this insect apart is its remarkable anatomy: the end of its abdomen features an extraordinarily wide, flat expansion that resembles a skillet, which serves as a stabilizing rudder during its acrobatic flights. It belongs to the clubtail family, known for their bright eyes that do not meet at the top of the head. Finding a Skillet Clubtail is always a treat for nature enthusiasts, as they are highly sensitive indicators of clean water. These nimble aerial predators spend their days patrolling riverbanks, hunting for flying insects, and resting on sunny shoreline rocks or leaves. Because they require pristine, silt-laden flowing waters for their aquatic larval phase, their presence signals a healthy, unpolluted river ecosystem.

生息地: Found near clean, medium-to-large flowing rivers with silt, sand, or gravel substrates, often resting on sunny rocks or riverside foliage.

外見

The Skillet Clubtail is a medium-sized dragonfly, measuring between 4 and 6 centimeters in length. Its most defining characteristic is the dramatically flared abdomen tip, which is nearly circular, dark brown to black, and often marked with small yellow spots on the sides. The thorax is patterned with bright yellow-green and black stripes, while its clear wings stretch to a span of approximately 5 to 7 centimeters. Unlike many other dragonfly families, its large, green compound eyes are distinctly separated on the top of its head.

界Animalia門Arthropoda綱Insecta目Odonata科Gomphidae属Gomphurus

Skillet Clubtail

カテゴリ

昆虫

レア度

Common

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

スナップ

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おもしろい事実

Because they require exceptionally clean, flowing water to breed, the presence of Skillet Clubtails is used by ecologists as a biological indicator of high water quality.

The dramatic, skillet-shaped widening at the end of the abdomen is much more pronounced in males than in females, serving as a visual signal during territorial flights.

They spend the vast majority of their lives—up to four years—as aquatic nymphs crawling along the river bottom, while their adult aerial life lasts only a few short weeks.

特殊能力

Uses its uniquely widened, flat abdominal club as a physical rudder to make sharp, high-speed banking turns while chasing prey in mid-air.

Possesses massive, widely separated compound eyes that allow it to track fast-moving prey and detect incoming predators from almost any angle.

As an aquatic nymph, it burrows into river sediment and uses a specialized, extendable lower lip to capture passing prey with lightning speed.

サイズと詳細

長さ: 4+ cm
翼開長: 5+ cm
体重: 0.0001+ kg
寿命: 2+ 年
Top Speed: 35 km/h
一度の産卵数: 100+
抱卵期間: 10+ 日

食性と食事

Opportunistic aerial predators as adults that capture flying insects mid-air, while their aquatic nymphs ambush small invertebrates in riverbed sediment.

年齢による違い: Aquatic nymphs feed on bottom-dwelling invertebrates and tiny fish, whereas terrestrial adults hunt flying insects in the air.

主な食物

Mosquitoes
Midges
Mayflies
Small moths
Blackflies

採餌方法

Pursuit

生態系とのつながり

eaten by

Cedar Waxwing

Bombycilla cedrorum

Adult clubtails are frequently preyed upon by insectivorous birds nesting along river corridors.

eaten by

Smallmouth Bass

Micropterus dolomieu

The aquatic larvae (nymphs) live in river gravel and are a common food source for benthic-feeding river fish.

competitor

Ebony Jewelwing

Calopteryx maculata

Both species patrol the same riverbank zones, competing for aerial insects like midges and blackflies.

特徴

このオブジェクトにはまだ特徴バッジが割り当てられていません。

別名

まだ別名はありません。

コレクション

テーマが追加されると、このオブジェクトのコレクションがここに表示されます。

安全性

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

まだ特別な安全上の注意はありません。

よくある質問

Skillet Clubtailを見分けるには？

Skillet Clubtailを識別する最も簡単な方法は、Snappit自然識別アプリを使用することです。

Skillet Clubtailの長さは何ですか？

4+ cm

Skillet Clubtailの翼開長は何ですか？

5+ cm

Skillet Clubtailの体重は何ですか？

0.0001+ kg

Skillet Clubtailの寿命は何ですか？

2+ 年

Skillet Clubtailのtop Speedは何ですか？

35 km/h

Skillet Clubtailは何を食べますか？

Opportunistic aerial predators as adults that capture flying insects mid-air, while their aquatic nymphs ambush small invertebrates in riverbed sediment.

Skillet Clubtailは通常どこに生息していますか？

Found near clean, medium-to-large flowing rivers with silt, sand, or gravel substrates, often resting on sunny rocks or riverside foliage.