European representatives of Cordulegastridae are large to very large dragonflies, coloured black with yellow markings (hence the European vernacular name) and bright green or blue eyes. The eyes meet on top of the head at a single point, opposed to the similarly coloured Gomphidae (clubtails). The American vernacular name ‘spiketail’ refers to the large, prominent ovipositors carried by females and used to lay eggs in the substrate of small, clear woodland streams.
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Cordulegaster trinacriae – Italian Goldenring
Cordulegaster insignis – Blue-eyed Goldenring
Outside Europe:
