Two-striped Forceptail (Aphylla williamsoni) female, Boykin Radio Tower, Angelina County, Texas, 9 July 2019. Photo Jim Johnson
July 2025 DSA Species of the Month: Two-striped Forceptail (Aphylla williamsoni)
Our July DSA species of the month is the Two-striped Forceptail (Aphylla williamsoni) in the family Gomphidae, known as the Clubtails. According to ode expert Dennis Paulson, it is approximately 2.8 inches to almost three inches in length (71-76 mm), and is often found along slow streams, canals, and sand-bottomed lakes and ponds. Paulson says it is “among the most ecologically broad-based of American clubtails.” Join Dr. Lawrence Zettler as he reminisces on his work illustrating this species and others in this engaging story.
Illustrating Dragonflies Under the Gaze of Odonata Legends
I have always been fascinated by dragonflies dating back to my childhood in rural north-central Florida. Using a fishing net, I would capture as many different species as possible, but Anax junius was especially challenging. One day, my mom took me to the Gainesville public library where I looked for a field guide that would help me identify these amazing insects. But, like most members of the genus Anax, such a book was elusive in the 1970s. Finally, I came across an obscure publication that was illustrated in color, but only a few species were depicted. One was labelled as the “10 Spotted Dragonfly” and another pictured had a bright red body (possibly Orthemis ferruginea). To this day, I recall that I was dumbfounded, maybe even angry, that so few dragonfly books existed. Why were there no books on the shelves given that dragonflies were such beautiful and colorful creatures, just like butterflies and moths?
Two-striped Forceptail (Aphylla williamsoni) male. Marion County, Lake Kerr (west end), Florida. 16 June 2004. Photo: Dennis Paulson
A decade later, I found myself studying insects in college as an undergraduate student majoring in entomology at the University of Florida in Gainesville. My fishing net was replaced by an authentic entomologist’s net, and I used it to capture many dragonflies on campus. One of my favorite locations was Lake Alice, where the Two-striped Forceptail (Aphylla williamsoni) roamed the skies skimming the water just above many alligators that populated the lake.
Two-striped Forceptail (Aphylla williamsoni) female, Bay County, Hobbs Pasture, Florida (south end of Enfinger Road at Deer Point Lake). 12 July 2009. Photo: Dennis Paulson
I remember being amused by the sight of an Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera) perched on the eyelid of a motionless alligator whose head emerged just above the water’s surface. The alligator seemed oblivious. The same was true of the amberwing.
Eastern Amberwing (Perithemus tenera) male, Herrick Lake Forest Preserve, Wheaton, Illinois, 8 July 2023. Photo: Cindy Crosby
It came as no surprise that my favorite course was “Insect Identification” taught by Dr. Sidney (Sid) W. Dunkle, an accomplished odonatologist who, to my recollection, previously studied under Dr. Minter J. Westfall, Jr. in zoology at University of Florida.
Two-striped Forceptail (Aphylla williamsoni) collected in 1987 by Lawrence W. Zettler, later identified by S. W. Dunkle. Photographed 4 June 2025, Illinois College, Jacksonville, Illinois. Photo: Lawrence W. Zettler
As I learned later, Dr. Westfall studied under Dr. James G. Needham himself who, together, published the first comprehensive manual on dragonflies of the U.S. and Canada in 1955. It didn’t occur to me until years later, after becoming a college professor myself, that I was a direct descendent of these great North American legends, and that by teaching my own entomology class, my students were next in line (although I was certainly no legend!).
Exuvia of Aphylla sp. (presumed to be A. williamsoni), Lake Martin, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, 30 Apr 2012. Photo Jim Johnson
Sid learned that I was a color illustrator who had experience painting space scenes using oil on canvas, and he encouraged me to sketch a dragonfly using colored pencils on paper. Despite my best efforts, the pigments that were applied looked “grainy”—not smooth and lifelike—and I then began to contemplate using other techniques such as watercolors. After showing the artwork to my mom, a watercolorist, she suggested that I apply the colors to the paper first, then apply a coat of white Prismacolor pencil over the top. Using force to smooth the pigment colors together, I thoroughly blended the mixture into the cellulose threads of paper fibers, effectively eliminating the grainy texture. The result was a colorful lifelike dragonfly that appeared as if it could fly off the page.
Close up of a portion of Plate #12 depicting males of Cordulegaster sayi (top), C. maculata (southern form (middle), and C. maculata (northern form). From Dragonflies of North America by J. G. Needham, M. J. Westfall, Jr., and M. L. May (Scientific Publishers, 2000). Photographed 4 June 2025, Illinois College, Jacksonville, Illinois. Photo: Lawrence W. Zettler
After showing Sid my sketch, I remember him staring at the image intently at close range for several seconds. He then lifted his eyeglasses up to get an even closer look, and remarked with a grin, “This is quite good. Would you be interested in illustrating my field guide to dragonflies that I’m working on?”
These words were pivotal in my professional development, setting into motion a fulfilling lifelong journey, instilling in me a much-needed sense of purpose at a time before the internet and cell phones could contaminate my youth. As an introverted college student who preferred to catch and pin insects to ‘hanging out’ with friends, I needed an identity I could be proud of. Illustrating a field guide to dragonflies of North America was an unbelievable perfect opportunity.
It wasn’t long before I found myself at the front end of a canoe, holding an insect net instead of a paddle, with Sid rowing quietly behind me, pointing out the different dragonflies I was encouraged to catch while they patrolled back and forth above and along freshwater lakes and streams in rural Alachua County. We captured many from the canoe, such as the Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylus) and several glorious Macromia (River Cruisers) species. On foot we observed Gray Petaltail (Tachopteryx thoreyi) and Say’s Spiketail (Cordulegastar sayi). We photographed those we captured. I was awed by their coloration, especially their compound eyes. Sid’s pictures were on 35 mm slides that he later gave to me as a color reference for my drawings.
Photo of original Plate #12 (Cordulegastridae, Genus Cordulegaster) from Dragonflies of North America by J. G. Needham, M. J. Westfall, Jr., and M. L. May (Scientific Publishers, 2000). Photographed 4 June 2025, Illinois College, Jacksonville, Illinois. Photo: Lawrence W. Zettler
For more than three years between and after my classes, I sketched 167 species in color on 14 plates while sitting in a corner of Sid’s office on campus. Each species required at least eight hours to draw, a process that started with measuring each segment (abdomen, thorax, legs, etc.) under a dissection microscope to scale. Once the outline was completed in pencil, ink was added over the graphite, then the colors were added and blended. To keep my brain occupied, I would listen to shortwave radio stations in English, typically Radio Moscow World Service because it had a signal strong and obnoxious enough to be picked up indoors during the day.
After graduation, I applied to several graduate schools to study Odonata for a career but was quickly turned down because my GRE exam scores were abysmal despite the fact that I had a respectable GPA (3.0) and positive letters of recommendation, including one from Sid. I ended up studying a rare native orchid at Clemson University, earning a PhD along the way.
Lawrence W. Zettler in the Central Highlands of Madagascar in 2015 during an orchid research trip in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and described in Chapter 5 of Saving Orchids, 2025, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and The University of Chicago Press. Photo: Amanda Wood.
While I have no regrets whatsoever in my career path which is now rooted firmly in orchid conservation, I remain fond of dragonflies to this day. The color plates I illustrated were eventually published in Needham, Westfall and May’s Dragonflies of North America (Scientific Publishers, 2000) which I am especially proud of. Today, when I visit different libraries, I can find this publication on the bookshelf, completing an unbelievable journey.
Lawrence W. Zettler(lwzettle@ic.edu) is a Hitchcock Professor of Biology at Illinois College, and a research associate at the Chicago Botanic Garden. In 2004, his color artwork was published in The Black Flies (Simuliidae) of North America (Cornell University Press). Earlier this year, he co-authored his first book, Saving Orchids: Stories of Species Survival in a Changing World, published jointly by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and The University of Chicago Press.
