order
                        
                      
                                    Coleoptera
                                       “Adult Beetles”
                                  
                                    Coleoptera
                                       “Larval Beetles”
                                  
                                    Diptera
                                       “True Flies”
                                  
                                    Ephemeroptera
                                       “Mayflies”
                                  
                                    Hemiptera
                                       “True Bugs”
                                  
                                    Lepidoptera
                                       “Aquatic Caterpillars, Snout Moths”
                                  
                                    Megaloptera
                                       “Alderflies, Dobsonflies, and Fishflies”
                                  
                                    Odonata
                                       “Dragonflies and Damselflies”
                                  
                                    Plecoptera
                                       “Stoneflies”
                                  
                                    Trichoptera
                                       “Caddisflies”
                                 family
                        
                     Gomphidae
               
            genus
                        
                     Ophiogomphus
            
               “Snaketails”
            
      Genus Overview
                  
               
                        19 species in North America.  Larvae are found in various habitats of slower water.
                  
               Characteristics
                  
               POLLUTION TOLERANCE
                        Southeast: 6.2
                                 Upper Midwest: 1
                              0 = least tolerant, 10 = most tolerant
                        FEEDING HABITS
                        
                                 Engulfer / Predator
                        
                     MOVEMENT
                        
                                 Burrower
                        
                     DISTRIBUTION
                        
                                 Widespread (east of the Rocky Mtns.)
                        
                     HABITAT
                        
                                 Lotic-depositional
Lotic-erosional
                        
                     Lotic-erosional
Diagnostic Characters
               order
                         
                                       
                                       
                                    Abdomen with 5 Sharp Stiff Points or 3 Gills
                                  
                                       
                                       
                                    Labial Mask
                                  
                                       
                                       
                                    Two Pairs of Wing Pads
                                 family
                         
                                       
                                       
                                    4-Segmented Antennae
                                  
                                       
                                       
                                    Flat Mask
                                 
                  + Expanded Character List
                  
                     
               
            
                        Order:
                           Nymph with mask-like labium below chewing mouthparts. Wings developing in wing pads. Segmented legs present, each with two claws. 
                     
                     
                        Family:
                           Suborder Anisoptera (i.e., Dragonflies: stout body shape, head more narrow than thorax and abdomen, end of abdomen with 5 short pointed projections, external gills absent). Labial mask flattened, without hair on palm of inside of mask (premental setae) or usually without setae along margins of palpal lobes at end of mask. Ligula (distal margin of labial mask) without median cleft. Antennae each 4-segmented, although 4th segment usually small. Fore- and middle tarsi each 2 segmented. Mature larvae 23–40 mm long, rarely to 65 mm.
                     
                     
                        Genus:
                           wing pads strongly divergent, large burrowing hooks on fore and mid tibiae,
                     
                   
                   
            Dorsal
               Ventral
               


