EASTERN LEAST CLUBTAIL Stylogomphus albistylus

DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES OF WEST VIRGINIA SPECIES PAGE

The Clubtails are a large and sometimes bewildering family of Dragonflies named for a flaring of the tip of the abdomen. In the Eastern Least Clubtail this flaring is present but not especially pronounced.

Of all the Clubtails, the Eastern Least Clubtail is among the smallest, measuring only about 1½ inches in length. The small size is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the species. The two species of Pygmy Clubtail are also small, but in Eastern Least Clubtail note that the terminal appendages are pale whitish in both sexes, and the abdomen is ringed, particularly when viewed from the side.

Eastern Least Clubtails are found near rivers and streams, specifically along those with sandy to rocky bottoms. The adults hunt high in the air, and may perch in tall trees. At mating time, however, males come to patrol the riffles, and to perch on rocks in the river.

On a beautiful August day I was wading in Shaver’s Fork in Randolph County, and saw seemingly endless numbers of Eastern Least Clubtails perched on rocks near the riffles. It was my first look at them, and their tiny size was remarkable.

The tiny size says either Eastern Least Clubtail or one of the two species of Pygmy Clubtail. We can eliminate the Pygmy Clubtails because the terminal appendages of this dragonfly are white, and because the abdomen seems ringed when viewed from the side.

The abdomen of the Eastern Least Clubtail may or may not appear to be ringed when viewed from above. The whitish appendages help identify this individual as an Eastern Least Clubtail.

All images on this page are © Stephen Cresswell.

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