Onychogomphus forcipatus
Encyclopedia
Onychogomphus forcipatus, the Small Pincertail or 'Green-eyed Hook-tailed Dragonfly', is a species of 'dragonflies' belonging to the family Gomphidae
Gomphidae
Gomphidae is an Odonata family that contains about 90 genera and 900 species. They are commonly referred to as clubtail dragonflies. The name refers to the clublike widening of the end of the abdomen...

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This quite common and widespread 'dragonfly' is present in most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. The adults grow up to 60 millimetres (2.4 in) long and can be encountered close to running water and lakes from June through September. Their life cycle lasts about 3-5 years.

The eyes of Onychogomphus forcipatus are widely separated and grey-to-green. The two black lines on the side of the thorax are relatively narrow and touch the midline. It has a yellow line on the 'vertex' and two cells above the anal triangle. The abdomed in males is fitted with three hooks of large size (anal appendages). 'Cercoids' may be dark and have a subterminal tooth. The base of the hindwing is angled in males and rounded in females.

Subspecies

  • Onychogomphus forcipatus var. albotibialis Schmidt, 1954
  • Onychogomphus forcipatus var. forcipatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Onychogomphus forcipatus var. unguiculatus (Vander Linden, 1820)

External links

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