Rapids Clubtail

Phanogomphus quadricolor · Order: Odonata · Family: Gomphidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Rapids Clubtail
Photo: Tom Field, CC BY

The Rapids Clubtail is a small dragonfly about 1.6 to 1.8 inches long (41 to 46 mm). It lives near medium to large rivers in eastern North America, and its larvae develop in slow-moving pools.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

They measure about 1.6 to 1.8 inches (41 to 46 mm) in length.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Their natural habitat is medium to large rivers.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Adult Rapids Clubtails feed on small flying insects.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

The larvae develop in slow-moving pools before emerging as adults.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

They are found in eastern North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 22 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania.

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

Source: GBIF

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

Months it is reported in the US

JFMAMJJASOND

Source: GBIF

More photos

Questions people ask

What do adult Rapids Clubtails eat?

They feed on small flying insects.

Source: Wikipedia

Where are Rapids Clubtails found?

They occur in eastern North America, especially near medium to large rivers.

Source: Wikipedia

How big are Rapids Clubtails?

They are about 1.6 to 1.8 inches (41 to 46 mm) long.

Source: Wikipedia

What do the larvae live in?

The larvae hatch and develop in slow-moving pools.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Gomphidae)

Sources

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

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · 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.