Pale Snaketail
Encyclopedia
Ophiogomphus severus is a species of dragonfly
in the family
Gomphidae
. It is commonly known as the pale snaketail.
of the pale snaketail is large and robust with a length of 1 inch (25 mm). It has a curved hook on the top of each abdominal segment two through nine, and it has a single, rear-facing spine on each side of abdominal segments seven through nine. The abdomen turns up at the tip.
are a yellowish green color. The top of its thorax may be marked with black while each side is unmarked. Its abdomen is black and marked with yellow on the top of every segment. The underside of the tip of its abdomen is marked with yellow and is swollen as in other members of this family. The abdomen of the female may appear olive brown to yellowish green, especially when viewed from the side.
streams. These naiads will burrow into the sand or mud, leaving the upturned tip of their abdomen exposed. This will allow them to breathe while buried by pumping water in and out of the tip of the abdomen. Unlike most species, snaketail naiads generally emerge as adults during the day. Adult pale snaketails generally fly from mid-May to September, and are commonly seen perching on gravel bars. They also have different flight seasons depends on range. These dragonflies cannot tolerate cooler temperatures and are rarely seen flying on cool or cloudy days. This dragonfly is probably the most common member of the family Gomphidae in Idaho.
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Gomphidae
Gomphidae
Gomphidae is an Odonata family that contains about 90 genera and 900 species. They are commonly referred to as clubtail dragonflies. The name refers to the clublike widening of the end of the abdomen...
. It is commonly known as the pale snaketail.
Naiad
The naiadNaiad
In Greek mythology, the Naiads or Naiades were a type of nymph who presided over fountains, wells, springs, streams, and brooks....
of the pale snaketail is large and robust with a length of 1 inch (25 mm). It has a curved hook on the top of each abdominal segment two through nine, and it has a single, rear-facing spine on each side of abdominal segments seven through nine. The abdomen turns up at the tip.
Adult
The pale snaketail is a medium-sized dragonfly with a length of 2-2.2 inches (50–55 mm) and wingspan of 2.6-2.8 inches (67–72 mm). Its face and thoraxThorax (insect anatomy)
The thorax is the mid section of the insect body. It holds the head, legs, wings and abdomen. It is also called mesosoma in other arthropods....
are a yellowish green color. The top of its thorax may be marked with black while each side is unmarked. Its abdomen is black and marked with yellow on the top of every segment. The underside of the tip of its abdomen is marked with yellow and is swollen as in other members of this family. The abdomen of the female may appear olive brown to yellowish green, especially when viewed from the side.
Geographical range
- United States: (ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
• CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
• ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
• IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
• KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
• MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
• NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
• New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
• OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
• South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
• U.S. Virgin Islands • Washington • WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
)
- Canada: (AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
• British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
• SaskatchewanSaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
)
Flight season
This dragonfly has a flight season of mid-May to September. In California this dragonfly species has a flight season of May to August.Adult
The pale snaketail will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insect such as mosquitoes, flies, butterflies, moths, mayflies, and flying ants or termites.Naiad
The naiad of the pale snaketail feeds on a wide variety of aquatic insects, including mosquito larvae, other aquatic fly larvae, mayfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp. It will also feed on small fish and tadpoles.Ecology
Snaketail naiads can be very selective in their habitat choices and will often occur only in certain stretches of a particular river or stream. They seem to be more tolerant of higher stream gradients and lower water temperatures than most members of this family, and are often found in cold troutTrout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
streams. These naiads will burrow into the sand or mud, leaving the upturned tip of their abdomen exposed. This will allow them to breathe while buried by pumping water in and out of the tip of the abdomen. Unlike most species, snaketail naiads generally emerge as adults during the day. Adult pale snaketails generally fly from mid-May to September, and are commonly seen perching on gravel bars. They also have different flight seasons depends on range. These dragonflies cannot tolerate cooler temperatures and are rarely seen flying on cool or cloudy days. This dragonfly is probably the most common member of the family Gomphidae in Idaho.
Reproduction
After both genders mate, the female flies singly, without the male attached, to lay her eggs by dipping the tip of her abdomen in rivers or streams while perching on a rock.Similar species
The pale snaketail looks similar to the Great Basin snaketail, it has two curved lines. They are not wavy lines. The sinuous snaketail has a double wavy stripe. The bison snaketail has a single line that is thick. The brimstone clubtail has rings all around its abdomen.Subspecies
There are two described subspecies of Ophiogomphus severus. The following are the two subspecies:- Ophiogomphus severus montanus
- Ophiogomphus severus severus