Ashy Clubtail dragonfly (male)

An Ashy Clubtail dragonfly (Phanogomphus lividus) was spotted during a photowalk with Michael Powell along a mid-size stream at an undisclosed location in Prince William County, Virginia USA.

13 MAY 2021 | Prince William County, VA | Ashy Clubtail (male)

This individual is a male, as indicated by his terminal appendages. A dorsal view of the same species shows the hind wings of Ashy males are “indented.” The male was perched on rocks, sand, and leaf litter deposited along the edges of the stream channel.

13 MAY 2021 | Prince William County, VA | Ashy Clubtail (male)

I’ve seen Ashy Clubtail dragonflies many times, but this was the first time I noticed their unusual flight pattern. Imagine a one-car roller coaster, going up and down smoothly while moving forward slowly. That’s the best way I can describe what I saw. You’ll recognize it when you see it — very distinctive!

My buddy Michael Boatwright, founder and administrator of the Virginia Odonata Facebook group, told me Lancet Clubtail (Phanogomphus exilis) has the same flight pattern.

Tech Tips

Both photos are full-frame (4,000 x 3,000 pixels), that is, uncropped. I considered cropping the photos to make the dragonfly appear larger. I decided to post the uncropped photos to show the smallish size of Ashy Clubtail more authentically. Click on each photo in order to see a full-size version that you can zoom-in on to see more detail.

Copyright © 2021 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Ashy Clubtail dragonfly (female)

An Ashy Clubtail dragonfly (Phanogomphus lividus) was spotted during a photowalk with Michael Powell at an undisclosed location in Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

02 MAY 2020 | Fairfax County, VA | Ashy Clubtail (female)

This individual is a female, as indicated by her terminal appendages and rounded hind wings.

02 MAY 2020 | Fairfax County, VA | Ashy Clubtail (female)

Look closely at the full-size version of all of the photos and you will notice body parts from a crane fly that the dragonfly was eating during this brief time-series of photos. Also notice the spider that photo-bombed the following image (shown to the far left).

02 MAY 2020 | Fairfax County, VA | Ashy Clubtail (female)

Related Resource

“Ashy Clubtail Close-ups” features photos of the same subject shot by Michael Powell: Mike used a DSLR camera, macro lens, and no flash to take his photos; I used a mirrorless superzoom “bridge” camera and an external flash unit to take mine.

Editorial Commentary

The Dragonfly Society of the Americas (DSA) released a new version of their “Odonata Central” Web site recently. The primary goal was to upgrade the process for searching and submitting official records for odonates.

Good intentions notwithstanding, one BIG CASUALTY of the update is the identification guides for almost every species of odonate in North America are no longer online. Site visitors looking for those resources are redirected to use “Dragonfly ID,” a third-party app for iOS and Android mobile devices.

In my strong opinion, an app is NEVER an adequate substitute for a Web-based reference library. For example, how can I point readers of my blog to specific resources in the “Dragonfly ID” app? I can’t, and as a result, many opportunities for informal science education are missed.

As a case in point, “All About Birds — Your Online Guide to Birds and Bird Watching” predates the release of the “Merlin Bird ID” app by many years. I’m fairly certain the Cornell Lab of Ornithology NEVER considered pulling the plug on “All About Birds” when they were developing their excellent app for bird identification. The two resources are complementary, not exclusive.

What’s done is done. As a consequence of the update, my photoblog is littered with broken links to what was once the authoritative online reference for North American odonates.

Currently there is no perfect substitute for the old DSA Odonata Central identification guides. Beginning with this post I will provide pointers to The Dragonflies and Damselflies of North Carolina Web site. For example, the photo captions in this blog post include links to the page for Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus), featuring an interactive, annotated photo that provides tips for identification of this species. Well done, North Carolina!

And while I’m talking about North Carolina’s excellent ode-related Web site let me ask the obvious question: Hey Virginia, where’s ours?

Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Composite image: “Generic Gomphid” (face)

A larva/nymph in the Family Gomphidae (Clubtails) was collected by Bob Perkins from the New River in southwestern Virginia. The larva died before it metamorphosed into an adult.

“Generic Gomphid” larva (preserved specimen) | New River, VA USA

An Ashy Clubtail dragonfly nymph was also collected by Bob Perkins. (The date and location where the specimen was collected are unknown.) The nymph was reared in captivity until it emerged on 21 March 2017 and metamorphosed into an adult female. This specimen is the exuvia from the nymph.

Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (face-head)

Although face-head of the “Generic Gomphid” and Ashy Clubtail look similar, they aren’t identical. More later after the specimen is keyed out carefully.

Related Resources

• Test shots: “Generic Gomphid”
• Composite images: “Generic Gomphid”
• Phanogomphus lividus exuvia

Tech Tips

13 photos were used to create the focus stack of the “Generic Gomphid.” A single focus point was positioned over select anatomical features; photos were taken at each point of interest.

The following equipment was used to shoot the composite image of the “Generic Gomphid”: Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera, in manual mode; Canon MP-E 65mm Macro lens (set for f/11 at ~2.5x); a Canon MT-26EX-RT Macro Twin Lite set for “Master” mode, and a single external flash set for “Slave” mode — a Godox TT685C Thinklite TTL Flash fitted with a Lastolite Ezybox Speed-Lite 2 flash modifier.

Auto power-off was disabled for the camera and external flash units.

Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 was used to create the focus stack, as well as spot-heal and sharpen the final output.

Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Test shots: “Generic Gomphid”

A larva/nymph in the Family Gomphidae (Clubtails) was collected by Bob Perkins from the New River in southwestern Virginia. The larva died before it metamorphosed into an adult.

Test shots of this beautifully preserved specimen were taken using a small-ish aperture of f/11 for greater depth of field. The following photos are “one-offs,” that is, not composite images.

Dorsal

80mm (120mm, 35mm equivalent) | ISO 200 | f/11 | 1/180 s | 0 ev

Bob’s best guess of the identity of the specimen is Phanogompus sp. I see several similarities between this larva and a Phanogomphus lividus exuvia (Ashy Clubtail) in my collection, so Bob’s tentative identification might be correct. More later after the specimen is keyed out.

Ventral

80mm (120mm, 35mm equivalent) | ISO 200 | f/11 | 1/180 s | 0 ev

This individual might be female, as indicated by the rudimentary ovipositor that can be seen on the ventral side of the specimen along the boundary between abdominal segments eight and nine (S8-9).

Related Resources

• Composite images: “Generic Gomphid“
• Composite image: “Generic Gomphid” (face)

Tech Tips

The following equipment (shown below) was used to shoot the preceding photos: Fujifilm X-T1 digital camera; Fujifilm MCEX-16 extension tube; Fujinon XF80mm macro lens; Godox XProF TTL Wireless Flash Trigger for Fujifilm cameras; Godox TT685F Thinklite TTL Flash for Fujifilm Cameras; Godox TT685C Thinklite TTL Flash for Canon Cameras fitted with a Lastolite Ezybox Speed-Lite 2 flash modifier; and a Canon 580EX II Speedlite mounted on a Godox X1R-C TTL Wireless Flash Trigger Receiver for Canon. A new Godox TT685O Thinklite TTL Flash for Olympus/Panasonic Cameras was added to an array of radio-controlled external flash units used to light the specimen. All flashes were set for Manual Mode at 1/128 power.

Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 was used to spot-heal and sharpen the final output.

Gear used for studio macro photography.

By the way, in case you looked at the preceding photo and wondered “What’s up with the crazy crop?” I used Photoshop to conceal some of the clutter in my kitchen. I set up my macro photo rig in the kitchen because it’s the largest uncarpeted area in my tiny apartment. Padded carpet is a poor surface for macro photography — the field of view from a tripod-mounted camera-lens-flash trigger combo shifts noticeably (and unacceptably) as one moves around the rig.

Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Do-over

The Backstory

An Ashy Clubtail dragonfly (Phanogomphus lividus) nymph was collected by Bob Perkins. (The date and location where the specimen was collected are unknown.) The nymph was reared in captivity until it emerged on 21 March 2017 and metamorphosed into an adult female. This specimen is the exuvia from the nymph. P. lividus is a member of the Family Gomphidae (Clubtails).

A focus-stacked composite image was created from 39 photos focused on the face and head of the exuvia. I had relatively little experience using Adobe Photoshop to make focus stacks when I created the first iterations of the Ashy Clubtail composite image. I was never satisfied completely with the final output, so I decided to do a do-over.

After…

The updated version of the composite image was created using my “Latest focus stacking workflow.”

Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (face-head)

Before…

The version that I published in late-March 2018 was created using the RAW photos (CR2) from my Canon digital camera, without any post-processing. I tried to adjust the white balance and color palette of the resulting composite image, but was unable to get the “look” I wanted. The image is probably over-sharpened too.

Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (face-head)

Which version do you prefer?

I know the version I like more. Which do you prefer, After or Before?

Tech Tips

The preceding images are composites of 39 photos taken using the following equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera, in manual mode; Canon MP-E 65mm Macro lens (manual focus only, set for 3x magnification); and Canon MT-26EX-RT Macro Twin Lite set for “Master” mode, and Canon 580 EX- and Canon 580EX II Speedlites set for “Slave” mode.

Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 was used to focus stack the photos and post-process the final output.

According to the “Focus Stacking Step Size Calculator” embedded in the “Focus Stacking” Web page, the “safe step size” is 0.213 mm for an aperture of f/11 at 3x magnification using a full-frame DSLR. That’s right, 0.213 mm! The safe step size is the incremental distance at which the in-focus areas of two photos overlap. The ruler on the inexpensive focus rail that I use is marked in millimeters only, so I attempted to move the focus rail in tiny increments in two passes: one pass moving from front-to-back; and a second pass from back-to-front.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Post update: Phanogomphus lividus exuvia

Phanogomphus lividus exuvia, my identification guide for Ashy Clubtail exuviae, was updated to feature two new annotated high-magnification macro composite images.

• Photo No. 1: The specimen was rehydrated/relaxed in order to reposition the front legs for an unobstructed view of the prementum, especially the median lobe of the labium.
• Photo No. 2: A close-up view of the anal pyramid (terminal appendages) verified the “superior caudal appendage (epiproct) is as long as inferiors (paraprocts).”

The first image is a composite of six photos that shows a ventral view of the prementum.

No. 1 | Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (prementum)

Editor’s Note: Sincere thanks to Sue and John Gregoire for guiding me to the location of the median lobe.

The last image is a composite of 15 photos that shows a dorsal view of the abdomen; the inset image is a selection from a composite of 10 photos that shows a ventral view of the anal pyramid.

No. 2 | Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (anal pyramid)

The Backstory

An Ashy Clubtail dragonfly (Phanogomphus lividus) nymph was collected by Bob Perkins. (The date and location where the specimen was collected are unknown.) The nymph was reared in captivity until it emerged on 21 March 2017 and metamorphosed into an adult female. This specimen is the exuvia from the nymph. P. lividus is a member of the Family Gomphidae (Clubtails).

Tech Tips

The following equipment was used to shoot all of the photos for the preceding composite images: Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera, in manual mode; Canon MP-E 65mm Macro lens (manual focus only, set for f/8 at either 2x or ~3x magnification); Canon MT-26EX-RT Macro Twin Lite set for “Master” mode; and Canon 580 EX- and Canon 580EX II Speedlites in “Slave” mode.

Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 was used to create the composite image by “round-tripping” with Apple Aperture.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

P. lividus prementum

The following image shows a composite of six photos of the prementum for an Ashy Clubtail dragonfly (Phanogomphus lividus) exuvia. The composite is one of at least two new images that will be annotated and used to update Phanogomphus lividus exuvia, my identification guide for Ashy Clubtail exuviae.

Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (prementum)

The Backstory

An Ashy Clubtail dragonfly (Phanogomphus lividus) nymph was collected by Bob Perkins. (The date and location where the specimen was collected are unknown.) The nymph was reared in captivity until it emerged on 21 March 2017 and metamorphosed into an adult female. This specimen is the exuvia from the nymph. P. lividus is a member of the Family Gomphidae (Clubtails).

Tech Tips

The following equipment was used to shoot all of the photos for the preceding composite image: Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera, in manual mode; Canon MP-E 65mm Macro lens (manual focus only, set for f/8 at ~3x magnification); Canon MT-26EX-RT Macro Twin Lite set for “Master” mode; and Canon 580 EX- and Canon 580EX II Speedlites in “Slave” mode.

Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 was used to create the composite image by “round-tripping” with Apple Aperture.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Phanogomphus lividus exuvia

The Backstory

An Ashy Clubtail dragonfly (Phanogomphus lividus) nymph was collected by Bob Perkins. (The date and location where the specimen was collected are unknown.) The nymph was reared in captivity until it emerged on 21 March 2017 and metamorphosed into an adult female. This specimen is the exuvia from the nymph. P. lividus is a member of the Family Gomphidae (Clubtails).

A two-step process was used to verify the identity of the exuvia.

1. Determine the family.
2. Determine the genus and species.

Step 1. Family

First, determine the family of the specimen. For reference, watch the excellent Vimeo video Identifying dragonfly larva to family (8:06). Here’s the decision tree used to identify the exuvia as a member of the Family Gomphidae (Clubtails).

• The specimen has a flat labium that doesn’t cover the face (not mask-like), as shown in Photo No. 1 and 3.
• Antennae are club-like (not thin and thread-like, as in  Aeshnidae larvae), as shown in Photo No. 1.

It’s simple and straightforward to recognize this specimen is a clubtail.

No. 1 | Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (face-head)

Step 2. Genus and species

Lateral spines are present on abdominal segments six through nine (S6-S9).

No. 2 | Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (dorsal)

No. 3 | Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (ventral)

The superior caudal appendage (epiproct) is as long as inferiors (paraprocts), as shown in Photo No. 4. The view of the terminal appendages is still slightly obscured by debris after the specimen was cleaned, making it challenging to distinguish the cerci from the paraprocts. Nonetheless, the epiproct and paraprocts appear to be nearly the same length.

No. 4 | Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (dorsal)

The median lobe of the labium (prementum) is straight-edged, as shown in Photo No. 5.

No. 5 | Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (prementum)

After emergence

The next photograph shows the Ashy Clubtail dragonfly after emergence from one of Bob Perkins‘ holding tanks. Phanogomphus lividus is 48-56 mm in total length (Paulson, 2011).

Image used with permission from Bob Perkins.

This individual is a female, as indicated by its rounded hind wings and terminal appendages.

Image used with permission from Bob Perkins.

Related Resource

The dichotomous key for Gomphus (now Phanogomphus) that appears on p. 20 in Identification Keys to Northeastern Anisoptera Larvae, compiled by Ken Soltesz, was used to attempt to verify the genus and species of the exuvia. Field marks that match this specimen are highlighted in boldface green text. Three boldface green asterisks (***) are used to highlight the thread for identification of P. lividus. Disclaimers are highlighted in boldface red text.

1a. Lateral spines on abdominal segments 7 to 9 (very minute if present on 6). [2]
***1b. Lateral spines on abdominal segments 6 to 9 well developed. [3]

3a. Superior caudal appendage (epiproct) shorter than inferiors (paraprocts); Teeth on lateral lobes of labium obsolete or poorly developed. [quadricolor]
***3b. Superior caudal appendage (epiproct) as long as inferiors (paraprocts); Teeth on lateral lobes of labium well developed. [4]

***4a. Median lobe of labium straight-edged. [lividus]
4b. Median lobe of labium convex-edged. [5]

—
Note: The weakest aspect of this key is couplet 4, as it applies to Gomphus descriptus [Harpoon Clubtail], the difference in the “convexity” of the median lobe between lividus and descriptus being very slight and difficult to discern in practice. Donnelly (pers. comm.) has found that, at least with New York specimens, the posterior narrowing of the median lobe of the labium is more abrupt in livid, and relatively gradual in descriptus. Also, the labial teeth are better developed in livid than in descriptus. These characters are so relative that any unknown suspected of being either of these species should be compared to reference specimens.

Tech Tips

The following equipment was used to shoot Photo No. 2 and 3: Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera, in manual mode; Kenko 20mm macro automatic extension tube; Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro lens (set for manual focus); Canon MT-26EX-RT Macro Twin Lite set for “Master” mode, and Canon 580 EX- and Canon 580EX II Speedlites set for “Slave” mode. Photo No. 1, 4, and 5: Canon MP-E 65mm Macro lens (manual focus only, set for either 2x or 3x magnification) plus the multiple-flash setup.

Photo No. 1-3 are focus-stacked composite images created and annotated using Adobe Photoshop CC 2017.

Bob Perkins’ photos were shot using a Canon EOS Rebel T3i camera body and Canon EF-S 60mm macro lens.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Refinements in focus stacking workflow

By trial and error, I’m slowly refining the workflow that I use to create focus-stacked composite images. My goal is maximizing efficiency while minimizing unexpected results. I’m planning to publish a step-by-step “how to” tutorial after my workflow is honed to perfection. Hah! I’m not sure that’s attainable, but I’m working on it.

In the meantime, here are two more composite images created using the latest refinements in my focus stacking workflow.

Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (dorsal-lateral)

Both composite images were created from three photos: one focused on the head/prementum; another focused on the middorsal body; and the last focused on the anal pyramid (terminal appendages).

Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (ventral)

I started using the High Pass filter in Photoshop to sharpen images and I am pleased with the results.

Sharpening doesn’t fix out-of-focus areas, such as the far hind leg in both images. I’m not sure what the “sweet spot” is for the Canon 100mm macro lens; the consensus seems to be photos are sharpest at f/8. I shoot at f/22 for single images with one focus point. I have been testing f/18 for the two- and three-photo focus stacks published recently, but as you can see, I should probably add a fourth photo focused on the farthest part of the subject.

The Backstory

An Ashy Clubtail dragonfly (Phanogomphus lividus) nymph was collected by Bob Perkins. (The date and location where the specimen was collected are unknown.) The nymph was reared in captivity until it emerged on 21 March 2017 and metamorphosed into an adult female. This specimen is the exuviafrom the nymph. P. lividus is a member of the Family Gomphidae (Clubtails).

Tech Tips

The following equipment was used to shoot all three photos in the composite image: Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera, in manual mode; Kenko 20mm macro automatic extension tube; Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro lens (set for manual focus); Canon MT-26EX-RT Macro Twin Lite set for “Master” mode; and Canon 580 EX- and Canon 580EX II Speedlites in “Slave” mode.

Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 was used to create the composite images by “round-tripping” with Apple Aperture. Although the round-trip has a few detours in my experimental workflow, there are fewer unpleasant surprises along the way. Worth the extra steps, in my opinion.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Ashy Clubtail dorsal view composite

One look at the unusual filename of the following image, and you know it’s a composite of three photos: one focused on the head; another focused on the middorsal body; and the last focused on the anal pyramid (terminal appendages).

Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (dorsal)

The results appear to be worth the extra time and effort to create a high-quality image of a beautiful specimen.

The Backstory

An Ashy Clubtail dragonfly (Phanogomphus lividus) nymph was collected by Bob Perkins. (The date and location where the specimen was collected are unknown.) The nymph was reared in captivity until it emerged on 21 March 2017 and metamorphosed into an adult female. This specimen is the exuviafrom the nymph. P. lividus is a member of the Family Gomphidae (Clubtails).

Tech Tips

The following equipment was used to shoot all three photos in the composite image: Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera, in manual mode; Kenko 20mm macro automatic extension tube; Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro lens (set for manual focus); Canon MT-26EX-RT Macro Twin Lite set for “Master” mode; and Canon 580 EX- and Canon 580EX II Speedlites in “Slave” mode.

Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 was used to create the composite image by “round-tripping” with Apple Aperture.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.