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Scientific Name
Gomphurus vastus
Family
Gomphidae (clubtails) in the order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies)
Description
The cobra clubtail is in the family of dragonflies called clubtails, named for the enlarged abdomen tip. There are about 100 species in this dragonfly family in North America north of Mexico, and more than 900 in the world. Learn more about the cobra clubtail and other dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera) in their group entry.
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Media Gallery
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Caption
The cobra clubtail, Gomphus vastus, is in the family of dragonflies called clubtails, named for the enlarged abdomen tip. There are about 100 species in this dragonfly family in North America north of Mexico, and more than 900 in the world.
Credit
Donna Brunet
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Use of this image is restricted to MDC only on this page
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Caption
The many clubtail dragonflies can be difficult to identify without close examination. This might be Gomphurus vastus, the cobra clubtail, but there are about a dozen others in the same genus that look very similar.
Right to Use
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Similar Species
About Land Invertebrates in Missouri
Invertebrates are animals without backbones, including earthworms, slugs, snails, and arthropods. Arthropods—invertebrates with “jointed legs” — are a group of invertebrates that includes crayfish, shrimp, millipedes, centipedes, mites, spiders, and insects. There may be as many as 10 million species of insects alive on earth today, and they probably constitute more than 90 percent all animal species.
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