Which dragonfly family is characterized by widely separated eyes and a bulge at the end of the abdomen?

• A. Gomphidae
• B. Libellulidae
• C. Aeshnidae
• D. Lestidae

Answer: (A)

This item tests how dragonfly families are distinguished by visible features, specifically eye placement and abdomen shape. Gomphidae, the clubtails, have eyes that are widely separated on the head rather than touching across the top, and they display a noticeable club-shaped bulge at the end of the abdomen. That combination—eyes set far apart and a clubbed tail tip—is a classic diagnostic sign for this family and helps separate them from other dragonflies. For comparison, some other dragonfly families have eyes that meet at the top of the head, or they lack a clubbed abdomen tip, and damselflies (another group of odonates) are structurally different in wing position and overall body form, so they don’t fit the same description.