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BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary


Octogomphus specularis
Grappletail


 
Scientific Name: Octogomphus specularis (Hagen in Selys, 1859)
English Name: Grappletail
 
Classification / Taxonomy
Scientific Name - Concept Reference: Paulson, D.R. and S.W. Dunkle. 1999. A checklist of North American Odonata. Slater Museum of Natural History, University of Puget Sound Occasional Paper, 56: 86 pp. Available: http://www.ups.edu/x7015.xml.
Classification Level: Species
Species Group: Invertebrate Animal
Species Code: OD-OCTSPE
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Animalia Arthropoda Insecta Odonata Gomphidae
   
Conservation Status / Legal Designation
Global Status: G4 (Jun 2016)
Provincial Status: S2S3 (Mar 2023)
BC List: Blue
Provincial FRPA list:   
Provincial Wildlife Act:
COSEWIC Status: Special Concern (May 2021)
SARA Schedule:
General Status Canada: 2 - May be at risk (2005)
   
Ecology & Life History
General Description:
Migration Characteristics:
(Global / Provincial)
 
    Nonmigrant:
    Local Migrant:
    Distant Migrant:
    Within Borders Migrant:
N /
N /
N /
na /
Habitats:
(Type / Subtype / Dependence)
Riparian / Riparian Forest / Facultative - frequent use
Riparian / Riparian Shrub / Facultative - frequent use
Stream/River / Stream/River / Obligate
Provincial Habitat Comments: Along wooded streams draining lakes (Cannings 2002b).
Food Habits:
Global Food Habits Comments:
Global Phenology:
Provincial Phenology:
(1st half of month/
2nd half of month)
Colonial Breeder: N
Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): / /
Elevation (m) (min / max): Global: 
Provincial: 
   
 
Distribution
Endemic: N
Global Range Comment: This species occurs in western North America, from southern British Columbia, Canada, south through the US states of California, Oregon, and Washington, to northern Baja California, Mexico (Dunkle 2000, Abbott 2020, GBIF 2021).
 
Authors / Contributors
Global Information Author:
Last Updated:
Provincial Information Author:
Last Updated:
   
References and Related Literature
Cannings, R. 2002. Rare Dragonflies of British Columbia, B.C. Minist. Sustainable Resour. Manage., and B.C. Minist. Water, Land and Air Prot. 6pp.
Cannings, R.A. 2002b. Introducing the dragonflies of British Columbia and the Yukon. Royal B.C. Mus., Victoria, BC. 96pp.
Ramsay, L.R., and S.G. Cannings. 2000. Dragonflies at Risk in British Columbia. Pp. 89-92 in L.M. Darling, ed. 2000. Proc. Conf. on the Biology and Manage. Species and Habitats at Risk, Kamloops, B.C., 15 - 19 Feb., 1999. Vol. 1; B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, Victoria, BC, and Univ. College of the Cariboo, Kamloops, BC. 490pp.
 

Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.

Suggested Citation:

B.C. Conservation Data Centre. Species Summary: Octogomphus specularis. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 8, 2026).