RAPIDS CLUBTAIL
This is a Rapids Clubtail, a somewhat uncommon and localized species. It is one of our smaller clubtails.
Most of my Rapids Clubtail sightings have been in late May to mid-June (my early and late dates are May 18 - June 27). This species has a mass, synchronized emergence. You need to be in the right place at the right time to see them.
I see Rapids Clubtails at Germantown MetroPark, and I also have some sightings along the Great Miami River, at Miamisburg and Taylorsville MetroPark.
The top of the club (Segments 8 and 9) is all black in this Rapids Clubtail. A Lancet or Ashy Clubtail would have yellow on the top of these segments.
Rapids Clubtails have two yellow half-circles on the sides of the club.
The eye color changes with age. This young Rapids Clubtail has pale gray eyes; some of the more mature individuals on this page have dark green eyes.
Female Rapids Clubtail at Germantown MetroPark.
A young female Rapids Clubtail with her wings still pressed together.
I found this teneral male Rapids Clubtail in Miamisburg on May 18, 2022 (my personal early date for the species).
This is the same individual as above, before he opened his wings. This was the only Rapids Clubtail I saw in 2022. The species had a terrible year, because the local rivers were flooded by heavy rains at the critical emergence time. This is the danger for a species that relies on a mass emergence strategy. Heavy rainfall at the wrong time can really hurt them. This species rebounded nicely in 2023, when the rivers were lower.