Gomphus vulgatissimus
• English name: Common Clubtail
• German name: Gemeine Keiljungfer
• French name: Gomphe vulgaire
• Dutch name: Beekrombout
• Swedish name: Sandflodtrollslända
• Norwegian name: Klubbe-elveøyenstikker
• Finnish name: Aitojokikorento
• Danish name: Almindelig flodguldsmed
• Italian name: Gonfo comune
• Czech name: klínatka obecná
• Slovenian name: Popotni porečnik
• Bulgarian name: Пролетно цигулче
Gomphus vulgatissimus
Not present
Present before 1990
Present after 1990
Present before and after 1990
Present after 2015
Map data based on J.-P. Boudot & V. J. Kalkman (eds.),
Atlas of the European Dragonflies and Damselflies
| General | • a medium-sized black-and yellow species, which is fairly common in central and eastern Europe | |
| Classification | • suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Gomphidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern | |
| Scientific name | • Gomphus vulgatissimus (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
| Name genus | • Gomphus: from Grk. γόμφος = bolt, rivet, peg | |
| Name species | • vulgatissimus: from Lat. vulgatus, superl. vulgatissimus, -a, -um = most widespread, most familiar | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • slow-flowing rivers and streams with a sandy bottom | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 45-50 mm; hindwing: 28-33 mm | |
| Notes | • gomphids are 'sitters': they spend a lot of time perched on rocks and vegetation | |
| Both sexes | Head | ➤ like in all other gomphids, the eyes are widely separated |
| • in mature animals the eyes are green; in immature animals they are brown | ||
| Thorax | • the black lines on the side of the thorax are fairly thick | |
| Abdomen | ➤ dorsally S8-S10 are entirely black, without a yellow (or green) mid-dorsal line | |
| Legs | • the legs are all black | |
| Male | Thorax | • mature males may have a greenish tinge on the thorax |
| Abdomen | • mature males may have a greenish tinge on the abdomen | |
| Photographs | • nearly all of our photos below were made in Tuscany |
LineDrawing: the male's abdomen in dorsal view, and the female's head, thorax and abdomen in lateral view.
