Tigertail

Ictinogomphus ferox · Order: Odonata · Family: Gomphidae

Also called: Common Tigertail, Common Tiger

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Tigertail
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

The tiger tail dragonfly lives in a wide variety of wet and dry habitats, from tropical forests and savannas to rivers, lakes, marshes and swamps. It is also found in the Algerian Sahara, specifically in Tassili n'Ajjer National Park. Its range includes many African countries such as Algeria, Kenya, South Africa and others.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It inhabits subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry and moist savannas, and various shrublands. It is also found in rivers, intermittent rivers, wetlands, swamps, freshwater lakes and marshes, as well as freshwater springs. In Algeria it occurs in the Sahara desert region, notably Tassili n'Ajjer National Park.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Tigertail photo 2
Photo: Robert Taylor, CC BY
Tigertail photo 3
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Tigertail photo 4
Photo: Robert Taylor, CC BY
Tigertail photo 5
Photo: Robert Taylor, CC BY

Same family (Gomphidae)

Small PincertailSmall PincertailOnychogomphus forcipatusDragonhunterDragonhunterHagenius brevistylusBlack-shouldered SpinylegBlack-shouldered SpinylegDromogomphus spinosusCommon ClubtailCommon ClubtailGomphus vulgatissimusLarge PincertailLarge PincertailOnychogomphus uncatusEastern RingtailEastern RingtailErpetogomphus designatus

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ictinogomphus_ferox

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.