Common Clubtail vs Yellow-spotted Tree Damselfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Clubtail Yellow-spotted Tree Damselfly
Scientific Name Gomphus vulgatissimus Platycypha caligata
Order Odonata Odonata
Family Gomphidae Chlorocyphidae
Size 50-55 mm wingspan 3-4 cm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Forests
Diet Predators Predators
Regions Europe East Africa, Southern Africa
Conservation Least Concern Vulnerable

Common Clubtail

A medium-sized dragonfly with a club-shaped abdomen tip and distinctive yellow and black markings. It emerges en masse from rivers in late spring.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most dragonflies, clubtails frequently perch on the ground or on flat surfaces rather than hanging from vegetation.

Yellow-spotted Tree Damselfly

A colorful damselfly from African forest streams with males showing bright red and white leg flags. Males wave their colorful legs to attract females.

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Did You Know?

Males perform elaborate leg-flagging displays, lifting their brightly colored tibiae to signal to females.