Clubskimmers (three species)

Three species of clubskimmers (Brechmorhoga) have been recorded in the USA. One of these species (Pale-faced Clubskimmer, B. mendax) is relatively widespread. The other two species have a more restricted range: The Masked Skimmer, B. pertinax, is known only from records in Arizona and Texas (Odonata Central) and the Slender Skimmer, B. praecox, has been observed only in Arizona, where discovered at two locations in 2015 (Bailowitz et al., 2016: Argia 28/1 p. 18).

Separation of the three species in the field relies on the following features:

Comparison (male & female)

Wing Color

  • Pale-faced and Slender Clubskimmers: Wings are clear;
  • Masked Clubskimmer: outer third of wings pruinescent, giving milky appearance that can be obvious in flight.

Dorsal twin spots on abdominal segment 7

  • Pale-faced Clubskimmer: Large and semicircular;
  • Masked Clubskimmer: Relatively small and distally divergent;
  • Slender Clubskimmer: medium size, spatula-shaped.
Clubskimmer abdomen comparison

Clubskimmer abdomen comparison

Size

  • Pale-faced Clubskimmer: Largest species, length 54-61 mm (Bailowitz et al., 2015);
  • Masked Clubskimmer: Intermediate size, length 50-54 mm;
  • Slender Clubskimmer: Smaller and more delicate than other species; length 46-53 mm.

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