Common Tigertail, Ictinogomphus ferox, Gewone Streepstert 

Short description:

Common Tigertail, Ictinogomphus ferox, Gewone Streepstert  very large size, black with dull yellow tiger-stripes, with a big head and boldly striped thorax. Long thin abdomen with large club.

Family Gomphidae     (Rambur, 1842)

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Key identification features:

Male:

• Face greenish yellow with small central dark brown spot on labrum, two spots on anteclypeus. Nose with fine brown bar in front joined to a small central line above, sharply angled with fine lip.  Head black and yellow from above with two small yellow horns and central yellow simple eye. 
• Eyes bluish grey.  
• Neck yellow with black blotches. Thorax narrow, all dark brown with wide dull yellow to yellowish green stripes.  
• Wings clear with crisp black veins, becoming smoky with age.  Pterostigmas very long(5.5–6.0 mm) and pitch black.
• Abdomen alternately brownish black and greyish yellow. Segment 8 with large round foliations, black with little basal yellow.    Superior appendages long, pointed,yellow with fine black tip. The length of the appendages is 1½ times the length is s 10 but the female appendages is equal to s 10 in length  Inferior appendages crooked, yellow with fine black tip.   

Female:

• Similar to male but with smaller foliations.
• Claspers are small and triangular shaped when view from the side. 
• Compared to the male clasper length of the female is equal to the length of S10
• S 10 has a yellow ring on s 10

Habitat:

• Prefers standing waters, large lakes, rivers, and probably also flowing channels in marshes, in open landscapes. Often with a sandy and/or soft (like muddy) bottom.
• From 0 to 2000 m above sea level, but mostly below 1500.

Behaviour:

• Flies swiftly for short duration, often out over the water, before returning to a regular perch, normally close to the water edge. Skittish sometimes difficult to approach

Compared with other species:

• Larger than other Gomphids in the region. Abdominal markings are unmistakable.

Identification guide

Click HERE for an identification guide for Clubtails based on images of the thorax and eyes

Images of southern African Clubtails

Distribution:

South Africa:

• Common and widespread across the warm eastern and northern side of South Africa.

Africa:

• Angola; Benin; Botswana; Central African Republic; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ethiopia; Ghana; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Mali; Mozambique; Namibia; Nigeria; Republic of South Africa; Rwanda; Sierra Leone; Somalia; South Sudan; Tanzania; Togo; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe; NOT confirmed: Cameroon; Republic of Guinea

Further reading:

•    Odonata Atlas of Africa VMU Number 664830
•    The IUCN red List of Threatened Species Least Concern
•    A Visual Guide to the Damselflies and Dragonflies of South Africa