Montana Field Guide

The Plains Clubtail is a fairly common, medium-sized dragonfly with a black body extensively marked with yellow including a dorsal strip of yellow on all abdominal segements--a moderate club at the end of the abdoman. Abdomen S10 mostly brown with yellow dot, while the Pronghorn Clubtail has more yellow S10-pale stripe in Male and mostly yellow in female. Sandy, gravelly or muddy streams and rivers with moderate current and grassy or wooded banks are preferred habitat (Dunkle 2000, Nikula et al. 2002, Paulson 2009).

Abdomen S10 mostly brown with yellow dot, while the Pronghorn Clubtail has more yellow S10-pale stripe in Male and mostly yellow in female.

Sandy or muddy streams and rivers with some current and grassy or wooded banks, as well as occasionally lakes are the choice habitats for the Plains Clubtail (Dunkle 2000, Paulson 2009).

Larvae feed on a wide variety of aquatic insects, such as mosquito larvae, other aquatic fly larvae, mayfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp. They will also eat very small fish and tadpoles.
Adult- The dragonfly will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insect including mosquitoes, flies, small moths, mayflies, and flying ants or termites.

Male Plains Clubtails make long territorial patrols over open water then return to shoreline to perch and to look for awaiting females. Copulation occurs near breeding locations in low vegetation. Females oviposit in long, straight flights by tapping the water with her abdomen (Dunkle 2000, Paulson 2009).