Green Dragontail vs Twin-spotted Spiketail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Green Dragontail Twin-spotted Spiketail
Scientific Name Lamproptera meges Cordulegaster maculata
Order Lepidoptera Odonata
Family Papilionidae Cordulegastridae
Size 40-55 mm wingspan, tails up to 30 mm 68-78 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Rivers & Streams
Diet Nectar Feeders Omnivores
Regions Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia) North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Green Dragontail

A diminutive swallowtail butterfly with translucent green-tinted wings and extraordinarily long, slender tail streamers on the hindwings. It hovers like a hummingbird while feeding.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the smallest swallowtails in the world and its hovering flight, combined with translucent wings, makes it look like a tiny dragonfly.

Twin-spotted Spiketail

A large, dark brown spiketail with paired yellow spots on each abdominal segment. It is the most common spiketail in eastern North America.

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Did You Know?

Its larvae lie partially buried in stream-bottom leaf litter and ambush passing prey.