MIDLAND CLUBTAIL

Another Midland Clubtail. Notice that there is a small yellow triangle on the top of Segment 8 (the top segment on the club). Cobra Clubtails lack this yellow triangle on Segment 8, and a Handsome Clubtail would have yellow on the top of both Segments 8 and 9. Also, note that this Midland Clubtail has thick and parallel stripes on the front of its thorax. A Cobra Clubtail would have thin and angled stripes. 

This is a teneral Midland Clubtail. They fly from mid-May through early July. (My personal early and late dates are May 17th and July 4th.) 

This is a teneral female Midland Clubtail, resting on my pants. Photographed at Germantown MetroPark.  

Cobra Clubtail - all black on the top of S8 & S9. 

Midland Clubtail - yellow triangle on the top of S8.

Handsome Clubtail - yellow spots on the top of S8 and S9. 

Midland Clubtails have unmarked faces (unlike Cobra Clubtails, which have thick black facial stripes).  

This is a Midland Clubtail. They inhabit a wide range of habitats. Midland Clubtails can be found at medium-sized streams, large rivers, and lakes. They are probably the most common river clubtails in our area.

This Midland Clubtail is a little unusual because there is hardly any yellow color on the top of S8. But it is definitely a Midland Clubtail. The stripes on the front of the thorax are too wide for Cobra. A Cobra Clubtail would have a wider club, with a smaller yellow square on the side of S8. 

This female Midland Clubtail was obelisking in a meadow at Germantown MetroPark. I found her on July 4, 2021, my personal late date for this species.   

A female Midland Clubtail eating an American Rubyspot damselfly, along the Great Miami River at Franklin (Warren County). 

Midland Clubtail eating an Orange Sulphur butterfly. Photographed along the Great Miami River near Middletown. 

Young Midland Clubtails have gray or brown eyes, as opposed to the bluish-green eyes of mature individuals. 

I have found Midland Clubtails at Caesar Creek, Germantown MetroPark, the Spring Valley Wildlife Area, and several locations along the Great Miami River.