Indian common clubtail
Males of this dragonfly have broad, flange-like expansions on the sides of the abdomen tip, giving the whole group the common name flangetail.
| Where | Ponds, tanks and rivers |
|---|---|
| Size | 50 to 52 mm abdomen length |
| When | May to October |
The Indian common clubtail is a large yellow and black dragonfly with blue grey eyes, a black thorax striped with yellow, and broad flange-like extensions near the tip of the abdomen.
Adults perch on bare twigs facing open water and breed in ponds, tanks and slow rivers, with most adults on the wing from May to October.
Traits
Habitat
Wetland
Colour
Black, Yellow
Active
Day
To people
Adults perch conspicuously near water and are not known to bite or sting people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Similar black and yellow clubtail pattern, but shows greenish yellow bands on the thorax and greyish green eyes rather than the bright yellow marks and blue grey eyes of the Indian common clubtail.
Questions
Is the Indian common clubtail dangerous to people?
Adults perch conspicuously near water and are not known to bite or sting people.
When can you see the Indian common clubtail?
The Indian common clubtail can be seen from May to October, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Zheng-An Wang, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
Report a mistake in this entry
Dragonflies and damselflies›Clubtails›Ictinogomphus
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.