The Cobra Clubtail is a dark Clubtail with one of the widest club in the region. It was moved from the genus Gomphus to the new genus Gomphurus. It is easy to distinguish by its wide club but can be mistaken with the Skillet Clubtail, which has an even wider club
Click on photos above for a close-up view.
Skillet Clubtail: The Cobra Clubtail and the Skillet Clubtail look similar. Both are black and yellow and have extremely wide clubs. However the Cobra Clubtail has bold facial markings while the Skillet Clubtail has no facial markings and a slightly wider club
Midland Clubtail: The Midland Clubtail is a common species that is found in many of the same habitats as the Cobra Clubtail. Midland Clubtails are slightly larger with no facial markings, finer side stripes on the abdomen, and have a narrower club with a top spot on segment 8.
Splendid Clubtail: The Splendid Clubtail also can look similar but it is larger (almost a quarter larger) with a narrower club and a larger side spot on segment 8. This side spot goes all the way to the edge, unlike the comparable spot on the Cobra Clubtail.
Often found perched on plants, bushes, rocks or on the ground beside a river or stream.
Large rivers and streams, often with sandy or silty bottoms. Also sometimes found around large lakes.
Mating usually occurs while perched on plants or shrubs or in the upper parts of trees. Females lay eggs by flying over the water and tapping or dipping the tip of the abdomen into the water to wash eggs off.
Click on the icons above for this species' range maps
Click here for county and state checklists from Odonata Central.
Range maps and checklists courtesy of Odonata Central. Copyright © 2016 OdonataCentral. All Rights Reserved. Abbott, J.C. 2006-2018. OdonataCentral: An online resource for the distribution and identification of Odonata. Available at www.odonatacentral.org.
