The Dragonflies and Damselflies of North Carolina
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North Carolina's 189 Odonate species
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Related Species in GOMPHIDAE: Number of records for 2024 = 0

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[View PDF]		Clearlake Clubtail (Phanogomphus australis) by Ali Iyoob, Matt Daw, Dan Irizarry
Compare with: Diminutive Clubtail  
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Note: these identification tips apply specifically to mature males; features may differ in immature males and in females.

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Map
Click on county for list of all its records for Clearlake Clubtail
Flight Charts
Distribution The southern Coastal Plain, from Carteret County west to Moore and Richmond counties. As would be surmised from the range, NC lies at the northern edge of the species' range. The Richmond County records (photographs first taken in 2011) extend the range slightly northward, and a record from adjacent Moore County in 2017 extends the range even more to the north. A photographic record in 2013 confirms the species from Bladen County, filling a gap in the former range. A photographic record from Carteret County in 2017 greatly extends the range eastward.
Abundance Extremely local, known from only a handful of lakes and ponds in the state; however, not scarce at one or two sites in Richmond County. Range and abundance between the lower Coastal Plain and the Sandhills (Scotland County) is unknown, but SC has no records away from the Sandhills/Fall Line counties. Interestingly, as many as 10 individuals have been seen at the Richmond County site.
Flight Fairly early in the season: mid-April to mid-May.
Habitat Lakes and ponds with sand bottoms and heavy vegetation, often with lily pads. The primary Richmond County site is a lake adjacent to a fish hatchery, with some dense concentrations of lily pads and other aquatic vegetation, particularly near the dam. The Bladen County record is from a large natural Carolina bay lake. The Carteret County site is a fairly large limesink pond, in otherwise sandy pinelands.

See also Habitat Account for Coastal Plain Herbaceous Ponds and Sloughs
Behavior Males perch on lily pads and other vegetation close to the lakes and ponds.
Comments Both Dunkle (2000) and Beaton (2007) mention the association of the species with lily pads. Thus, it suggests that biologists should try to find the species by searching out ponds or lakes with many lily pads. Gratifyingly, in the past few years, biologists have expanded the range and known sites and counties for the species in NC; it is not nearly as rare as thought just a few years ago, and the State Rank has been moved from S1 to now S2 in 2020.
State Rank S2
State Status SR
Global Rank G4
Federal Status
Synonym Gomphus australis
Other Name
Species account update: LeGrand on 2023-01-10 11:30:39
Photo Gallery for Clearlake Clubtail   17 photos are shown. Other NC Galleries:    Jeff Pippen    Will Cook    Ted Wilcox
Photo 1 by: Matt Spangler

Comment: Richmond; C, 2023-05-07, McKinney Lake State Fish Hatchery		Photo 2 by: Richard Stickney

Comment: Richmond; C, 2023-04-17, Indian Camp Lake - Males
Photo 3 by: Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf

Comment: Richmond; C, 2020-04-26, Lake McKinney fish hatchery		Photo 4 by: Mark Shields

Comment: Carteret, 2018-04-18, Ponds along Patsy Pond Nature Trail, Croatan National Forest - 1 teneral flushed from shoreline; 1 just emerged on lilypad
Photo 5 by: Mark Shields

Comment: Brunswick, 2018-04-17, Boiling Spring Lakes - exuvia on lilypad in North Lake		Photo 6 by: Mark Shields, Chris Hill

Comment: Carteret, 2017-05-19, Ponds along Patsy Pond Nature Trail, Croatan National Forest - female ovipositing in Lily Pond
Photo 7 by: Kyle Kittelberger

Comment: Scotland, 2017-05-08, Sandhill Game Land; Scotland Lake - all males		Photo 8 by: Mike Turner, Conrad Wernett, Alyssa Wernett

Comment: Scotland, 2017-05-07, Sandhill Game Land; Scotland Lake. Being preyed on by a Comet Darner.
Photo 9 by: Conrad Wernett

Comment: Carteret, 2017-04-30, - Three males seen and photographed at Patsy Pond in Croatan National Forest.		Photo 10 by: Richard Stickney

Comment: Moore; C, 2017-04-30, - Upper pond at Sandhills Community College gardens - male
Photo 11 by: Mark Shields

Comment: Brunswick, 2017-04-12, North Lake and Spring Lake parks, Boiling Spring Lakes - female at Spring Lake Park		Photo 12 by: Conrad Wernett, Alyssa Wernett, Matt Anderson

Comment: Scotland, 2015-05-03, - Males photographed around Scotland Lake in the sandhills
Photo 13 by: Stevie Tatum

Comment: Bladen, 2013-05-20, Natural lake; confirmed by D. Paulson and E. Corey		Photo 14 by: Ali Iyoob, Matt Daw, Dan Irizarry

Comment: Richmond; C, 2011-05-05, McKinney Lake Fish Hatchery - also 1 emerging from exuvia
Photo 15 by: Ali Iyoob, Matt Daw, Dan Irizarry

Comment: Richmond; C, 2011-05-05. McKinney Lake Fish Hatchery - also 1 emerging from exuvia		Photo 16 by: Ali Iyoob, Matt Daw, Dan Irizarry

Comment: Richmond; C, 2011-05-05. McKinney Lake Fish Hatchery - also 1 emerging from exuvia
Photo 17 by: Ali Iyoob, Matt Daw, Dan Irizarry

Comment: Richmond; C, 2011-05-05. McKinney Lake Fish Hatchery - also 1 emerging from exuvia