Nebraska Dragonflies and Damselflies

Pronghorn Clubtail

Phanogomphus graslinellus

Walsh, 1862

The Pronghorn Clubtail is a brightly-colored dragonfly with a moderate-sized club. It has a greenish thorax with brown stripes and a black abdomen marked with bright yellow. The sides of the club (the lateral portions of abdominal segments 8 and 9) are bright yellow. The male clasper has a lateral tooth, giving it the shape of a pronghorn antelope horn. It usually perches on open ground at the water's edge. The female is similar to the male. The Pronghorn is similar in appearance to the larger Plains Clubtail and to the Sulphur-tipped Clubtail, which has more yellow on the club.

Rare. This is a midwestern species ranging east into Ohio and west intoeastern Kansas. It has been recorded in Nebraska from Gage and Pawnee counties just north of the Kansas records. There is a second band of records running north from eastern Colorado through and beyond the BlackHills. Nebraska records from Sioux and Dawes Counties are part of thisdistribution. There are also records from Keya Paha and AntelopeCounties halfway between Iowa and the Black Hills, and theyprobably belong to this western population.

Green indicates accepted county record (specimen or photograph).
Yellow indicates sight record only.