Beaverpond Clubtail

Phanogomphus borealis · Order: Odonata · Family: Gomphidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Beaverpond Clubtail
Photo: Nick Block, CC BY

The beaverpond clubtail is a clubtail dragonfly in the family Gomphidae. It is placed in the genus Phanogomphus, which was formerly a subgenus of Gomphus but has been raised to genus rank.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Phanogomphus borealis is the scientific name of the beaverpond clubtail.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its range includes the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

The genus Phanogomphus was once considered a subgenus of Gomphus but is now recognized as a separate genus.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Vermont, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

JFMAMJJASOND

Source: GBIF

More photos

Beaverpond Clubtail photo 2
Photo: Quinten Wiegersma, CC BY
Beaverpond Clubtail photo 3
Photo: Gregory LeClair, CC BY
Beaverpond Clubtail photo 4
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Beaverpond Clubtail photo 5
Photo: Nick Block, CC BY

Same family (Gomphidae)

Small PincertailSmall PincertailOnychogomphus forcipatusDragonhunterDragonhunterHagenius brevistylusBlack-shouldered SpinylegBlack-shouldered SpinylegDromogomphus spinosusCommon ClubtailCommon ClubtailGomphus vulgatissimusLarge PincertailLarge PincertailOnychogomphus uncatusEastern RingtailEastern RingtailErpetogomphus designatus

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phanogomphus_borealis

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.