Bug FAQSmall Pincertail
Onychogomphus forcipatus · Order: Odonata · Family: Gomphidae
Also called: Green-eyed Hook-tailed Dragonfly, Green-eyed Hooktail
Adult Small Pincertails are medium-sized dragonflies about 6 cm long with a wingspan of roughly 5.5 to 7.5 cm. They live near clean, fast-flowing rivers with gravel or sand banks, and can also be found at large lakes, flying from June to September (earlier in southern Europe). The species is widespread across most of Europe, parts of North Africa and West/Central Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Their eyes are spaced widely and range from grey to green in colour. Two narrow black lines run along the sides of the thorax and meet at the centre line.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults grow up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long and have a wingspan between 5.5 and 7.5 cm (2.2 to 3.0 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They prefer clean rivers with a moderate current and gravel or sandy banks. They are also occasionally seen on large lakes.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae live buried in the substrate of the water body. After mating, females deposit about 500 eggs into the water.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The development from egg to adult takes roughly three to five years. Females lay around 500 eggs in the water after mating.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active near water from June through September. In southern parts of Europe, they may start emerging as early as April.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The dragonfly occurs throughout most of Europe, in North-African countries such as Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, and in West/Central Asian nations including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It looks similar to the dragonfly Onychogomphus uncatus. The two species can be told apart by the shape and extent of the black markings on the thorax and the last abdominal segments.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
Where can I see Small Pincertails?
Look for them near clean, fast-flowing rivers or large lakes from June to September, earlier in southern Europe.
Source: Wikipedia
How long do they live?
Their life cycle from egg to adult lasts about three to five years.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gomphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onychogomphus_forcipatus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.