Onychogomphus forcipatus

Onychogomphus forcipatus
Onychogomphus forcipatus var. unguiculatus, female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Hexapoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Odonata
Family:	Gomphidae
Genus:	Onychogomphus
Species:	O. forcipatus
Binomial name
Onychogomphus forcipatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Libellula forcipata Linnaeus, 1758

Onychogomphus forcipatus, the Small Pincertail or 'Green-eyed Hook-tailed Dragonfly', is a species of 'dragonflies' belonging to the family Gomphidae.

This quite common and widespread 'dragonfly' is present in most of Europe. 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.

Onychogomphus forcipatus unguiculatus, close-up on head

Close-up on thorax, the two black lines touch the midline

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.

References

• Göran Sahlén - Eggshell ultrastructure in Onychogomphus forcipatus unguiculatus (Vander Linden) (Odonata: Gomphidae) - Section of Entomology, Department of Zoology, Uppsala University, Villavägen - International Journal of Insect Morphology and Embryology

Volume 24, Issue 3, July 1995, Pages 281-286

Subspecies

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

External links

• Fauna Europaea
• Biolib
• Ghmahoney.org