Tigertails

Family Gomphidae      Rambur, 1842

• Genus Ictinogomphus      Cowley, 1934

Worldwide Distribution:

• Over 15 species are known, ranging east to Australia

Africa

• Four species in Africa
  • Ictinogomphus dundoensis Pinhey, 1961 Swamp Tigertail
  • Ictinogomphus ferox (Rambur, 1842) (Rambur, 1842)  Common Tigertail
  • Ictinogomphus fraseri Kimmins, 1958 Kimmins, 1958 Western Tigertail
  • Ictinogomphus regisalberti (Schouteden, 1934) (Schouteden, 1934)   Congo Tigertail

General description:

• Males are very large (hindwing 38-51 mm) black-and-yellow dragonflies

Habitat

• Favour calm water
• I. ferox (Common Tigertail)occurs at marshes, ponds, lakes and calm rivers.
• I. dundoensis (Swamp Tigertail) in marshy rivers like in the Okavango Delta, and I. regisalberti (Congo Tigertail) and its western counterpart I. fraseri (Western Tigertail) at rivers, often in forest.

Behaviour

• Perch conspicuously on prominent stakes over water, raising abdomen to display the distinctly foliated end

A selection of images

Identification guide

• Click HERE for a list of southern African Clubtails by image
• Click HERE for an identification guide for Clubtails based on images of the thorax

Images of southern African Clubtails

Distribution

Synopsis

• Only images of males are shown
• To view images of female follow the menu links to the main description pages
• Click on all images to enlarge. 
• Images that are available are shown