PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Gomphidae (clubtail dragonfly)

Insecta - Odonata - Gomphidae

Taxonomy

Gomphidae was named by Rambur (1842). It is extant.

It was assigned to Odonata by Bode (1953) and Zhang (1989); to Anisoptera by Handlirsch (1906), Cowley (1942) and Carpenter (1992); and to Gomphida by Bechly (2007).

Subtaxa

Aeschna perampla, Auroradraco, Austrogomphinae, Diastatomma, Erpetogomphus, Gomphidae, Gomphinae, Gomphoides occulta, Huaxiagomphus (syn. Sinogomphus), Ilerdaegomphus, Jibeigomphus, Lanthus wuluogongensis, Libellula valga, Lindeniinae, Liogomphus, Lithogomphus, Octogomphinae, Pheugothemis, Sieboldius

Synonyms

Lanthus wuluogongensis was named by Hong (1985). It is a compression fossil. Its type locality is Wuluogong, Guangfayong district, which is in a Miocene terrestrial horizon in the Hannuoba Formation of China.

It was recombined as Gomphus wuluogongensis by Zhang (1989); it was considered a nomen dubium by Nel and Paicheler (1994).
Libellula valga was named by Hagen (1862). It is an impression.

It was considered a nomen nudum by Hagen (1862) and Kirby (1890); it was considered a nomen dubium by Handlirsch (1906).
Gomphoides occulta was named by Hagen (1856). It is an inclusion in amber. Its type locality is Baltic Amber, Danziger Naturkundemuseum Menge collection, which is in a Priabonian terrestrial amber in Poland.

It was considered a nomen vanum by Nel and Paicheler (1994).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1842	Gomphidae Rambur
1856	Gomphoides occulta Hagen p. 81
1862	Libellula valga Hagen p. 107
1890	Gomphoides occulta Kirby p. 168
1906	Gomphidae Handlirsch p. 471
1942	Gomphidae Cowley p. 77
1953	Gomphidae Bode
1984	Lanthus wuluogongensis Hong p. 17 fig. 7
1985	Lanthus wuluogongensis Hong p. 1417 figs. Pl 3, figs 1,2
1989	Gomphidae Zhang p. 37
1989	Gomphus wuluogongensis Zhang p. 37 fig. 20
1992	Gomphidae Carpenter p. 81
2007	Gomphidae Bechly

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Protostomia
—	Ecdysozoa
—	Panarthropoda
phylum	Arthropoda	Latreille 1829
superclass	Hexapoda	Latreille 1825
class	Insecta
—	Dicondylia
—	Paranotalia
subclass	Pterygota	()
infraclass	Hydropalaeoptera	Rohdendorf 1969
—	Euhydropalaeoptera
—	Odonatoptera	Martynov 1932
—	Palaeodonatoptera
—	Plesiodonatoptera
—	Apodonatoptera
—	Paneodonatoptera
—	Neodonatoptera
—	Euodonatoptera
—	Odonatoclada	Bechly 1999

Rank	Name	Author
—	Nodialata
—	Discoidalia
—	Stigmoptera
—	Lobodonata
—	Panodonata
order	Odonata
—	Epiproctophora
—	Euepiproctophora	Bechly 1998
—	Anisopteromorpha
—	Trigonoptera
—	Pananisoptera
—	Neoanisoptera	Bechly 1998
suborder	Anisoptera	Selys-Longchamps and Hagen 1854
—	Euanisoptera
—	Exophytica
—	Gomphides
—	Desmoproctida
—	Oligophlebiata	Bechly 2003
—	Brevicubitalia	Bechly 2003
—	Gomphida
family	Gomphidae	Rambur 1842
family	Gomphidae	Rambur 1842

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Fm. Gomphidae Rambur 1842 [clubtail dragonfly]

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G. †Auroradraco Archibald and Cannings 2019

†Auroradraco eos Archibald and Cannings 2019

Subfm. Austrogomphinae Carle 1986

Tr. Austrogomphini Carle 1986

G. Austrogomphus Selys-Longchamps 1854

G. Diastatomma Burmeister 1839

G. Erpetogomphus Hagen 1858

†Erpetogomphus shii Zheng et al. 2018

G. †Gomphidae Handlirsch 1906

Subfm. Gomphinae Rambur 1842

Tr. Gomphini Rambur 1842

G. Gomphus Leach 1815

†Gomphus biconvexus Chang and Sun 2005

G. †Priscogomphus Schumann 1967

†Priscogomphus subhercynicus Schumann 1967

G. †Huaxiagomphus Hong 1988

†Huaxiagomphus taushanensis Hong 1982

Invalid names: Sinogomphus Hong 1982 [replaced]

G. †Ilerdaegomphus Martínez-Delclòs 1989

†Ilerdaegomphus pallerolae Gomez Pallerola 1979

†Ilerdaegomphus torcae Martínez-Delclòs and Nel 1994

G. †Jibeigomphus Hong 1984

†Jibeigomphus xinboensis Hong 1984

Subfm. Lindeniinae Selys 1854

G. †Burmalindenia Schädel and Bechly 2016

†Burmalindenia imperfecta Schädel and Bechly 2016

G. †Cratolindenia Bechly 2000

†Cratolindenia knuepfae Bechly 2000

Tr. Gomphoidini Jacobsen and Bianchi 1905

G. Gomphoides Selys-Longchamps 1850

G. Ictinogomphus Cowley 1934

†Ictinogomphus engelorum Nel et al. 2020

†Ictinogomphus hassleri Schädel and Lechner 2017

Invalid names: Ictinus Rambur 1842 [replaced]

G. Lindenia de Haan 1826

†Lindenia heeri Boderau et al. 2024

G. †Miopetalura Zhang 1989

†Miopetalura shanwangica Zhang 1989

Invalid names: Lindeniini Selys 1854 [empty], Petalura acutipennis Hagen 1859 [nomen dubium]

G. †Liogomphus Ren and Guo 1996

†Liogomphus yixianensis Ren and Guo 1996

G. †Lithogomphus Beier 1952

†Lithogomphus muenzenbergianus Beier 1952

Subfm. Octogomphinae Carle and Cook 1984

Tr. Octogomphini Carle and Cook 1984

G. Lanthus Needham 1897

G. †Pheugothemis Handlirsch 1906

†Pheugothemis westwoodi Phillips 1866

G. Sieboldius Selys-Longchamps 1854

Sieboldius albardae Selys-Longchamps 1886

Invalid names: Aeschna perampla Brodie 1845 [nomen dubium], Gomphoides occulta Hagen 1856 [nomen vanum], Lanthus wuluogongensis Hong 1985 [nomen dubium], Libellula valga Hagen 1862 [nomen dubium]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

chitino

Form:

roller-shapedo

Environment:

freshwater, terrestrialo

Locomotion:

fast-movingo

Life habit:

volanto

Diet:

carnivoreo

Diet 2:

insectivoreo

Vision:

well-developedo

Dispersal:

watero

Created:

2011-03-07 03:41:10

Modified:

2011-03-06 10:41:10

Source: o = order

Reference: Ren and Guo 1996

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Bathonian to the top of the Middle Pleistocene or 168.30000 to 0.12900 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 166.1 Ma

Collections (31 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Bathonian	168.3 - 166.1	United Kingdom (Oxfordshire)	Libellula westwoodii (140495)
Late/Upper Hauterivian	136.4 - 130.0	China (Hebei)	Jibeigomphus xinboensis (154962)
Early/Lower Barremian	130.0 - 125.45	Spain	Ilerdaegomphus pallerolae (152691) Palaeaeschna pallerolae (152686)
Late/Upper Barremian	130.0 - 125.45	Spain (Cuenca)	Ilerdaegomphus torcae (152992)
Late/Upper Barremian	130.0 - 125.45	China (Liaoning)	Gomphus sp., Liogomphus yixianensis, Gomphus biconvexus (148368) Liogomphus yixianensis (138436)
Barremian	129.4 - 125.0	China (Nei Mongol)	Sinogomphus taushanense (154968)
Late/Upper Aptian	122.46 - 113.0	Brazil (Ceará)	Cratolindenia knuepfae (122557)
Early/Lower Cenomanian	99.6 - 93.5	Myanmar	Burmalindenia imperfecta (123053)
Ypresian	56.0 - 47.8	Canada (British Columbia)	Auroradraco eos (103205)
Priabonian	38.0 - 33.9	Poland	Gomphoides occulta (120811)
Early/Lower Oligocene	33.9 - 28.4	Germany	Petalura acutipennis (113964)
Rupelian	33.9 - 28.1	France (Alpes-de-Haute)	Gomphinae indet. A (114016)
MP 28	28.4 - 23.03	Germany (Rheinland-Pfalz)	Ictinogomphus engelorum (71942) Lindeniinae indet. (211302)
Chattian - Aquitanian	28.1 - 20.44	Germany (Sachsen)	Ictinogomphus sp. (26765)
Aquitanian	23.03 - 20.44	Turkey	Lindeniinae indet. (123307)
Early/Lower Miocene	23.03 - 15.97	Mexico	Erpetogomphus shii (200059)
Burdigalian	20.44 - 15.97	China (Shandong)	Miopetalura shanwangica (128551)
Middle Miocene	15.97 - 11.608	Japan	Gomphidae indet. (153619)
Middle Miocene	15.97 - 11.608	Australia (New South Wales)	Austrogomphus sp. (224044)
Middle Miocene	15.97 - 11.608	China (Hebei)	Lanthus wuluogongensis (128554)
Badenian	13.65 - 12.7	Austria	Gomphidae indet. (131964) Ictinogomphus hassleri (184614)
Sarmatian	12.7 - 11.608	Germany (Baden-Württemberg)	Lindenia heeri (117252)
Turolian	8.7 - 5.333	France (Ardèche)	Gomphidae indet. (113893)
Messinian	7.246 - 5.333	France (Cantal)	Gomphidae indet. (122195)
Piacenzian	3.6 - 2.588	USA (California)	Gomphidae indet. (162797)
Piacenzian	3.6 - 2.588	Germany (Niedersachsen)	Gomphidae indet., Priscogomphus subhercynicus (109196)
Middle Pleistocene	0.774 - 0.129	Japan	Sieboldius albardae (211426)