North Carolina's 189 Odonate species
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Related Species in GOMPHIDAE: Number of records for 2024 = 0

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[View PDF]		Cherokee Clubtail (Stenogomphurus consanguis) by Marion Dobbs. 2009-06-24 Floyd County, GA
Compare with: Sable Clubtail   Mustached Clubtail   Southern Pygmy Clubtail  
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Note: these identification tips apply specifically to mature males; features may differ in immature males and in females.

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Click on county for list of all its records for Cherokee Clubtail
Flight Charts
Distribution Only known from two counties in the western Piedmont/foothills. This species has a small range in the southern Appalachians, from southwestern VA into northern AL. It is odd that there are no records yet from the NC mountain counties, and because it is a southern Appalachian species, it obviously must occur in the mountains only at very low to low elevations (perhaps below 2,000 feet).
Abundance Seemingly very rare, if still present; part of the scarcity of records might be due to difficulty of identification (other than through collecting). Beaton (2007) calls it "Rare to locally uncommon" in its small GA range. Sadly, the species has not been seen in the state since 1993, and the website editors suggest that it now be considered of historical occurrence, as of early 2023.
Flight Late May to mid- or late June in GA (Beaton 2007). The only record available in NC with a date is for 20 May, which seems surprisingly early (compared with GA flight dates). The NC flight in the central/western Piedmont of NC thus might start in mid-May, but is expected to extend well into June.
Habitat Only near small streams in forests, often near springs, or where spring-fed.
Behavior Males perch close to such streams and springs, and have a slow flight close to the water. Both Beaton (2007) and Dunkle (2000) call the species "unwary" near these creeks.
Comments This is one of most poorly known dragonflies in NC, and no living person has probably seen it in the state. There has been a moderate amount of recent field work in the mountains, but still relatively little in the upper Piedmont and foothills, where this species resides, or resided in the past. Add to this the similarity in appearance to the Sable Clubtail, and it is understandable that there are no certain recent records. However, there have been observations and photos in the past several years in Madison County of individuals that were one of these two species but that couldn't be confirmed. Note that NatureServe's global rank is G3; thus, any and all records (within its range) are of great interest.

The State Rank is still carried as S1? by the N.C. Natural Heritage Program, but sadly this rank needs to go to SH (Historical) as of early 2023. Note that SH would not mean it is extirpated, but that there is some likelihood that it could still be re-found in the state -- especially as there are records within the past few years in eastern TN.
State Rank S1? [SH]
State Status SR
Global Rank G3
Federal Status
Synonym Gomphus consanguis
Other Name
Species account update: LeGrand on 2023-01-10 13:03:18
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