Great Hooktail, Paragomphus magnus, Groothakiestert

Short Description:

Great Hooktail, Paragomphus magnus, Groothakiestert is fairly large sized, blackish with a bright green thorax marked with two bright yellow bands with three dotted lines in between and a distinct yellow ring on segment 7. No foliages

Family Gomphidae (Rambur, 1842)

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Male
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Key identification features:

Male:

Face is yellow with black moustache running across the upper labrum.
Eyes are a dull turquoise colour. Frons has two eyebrows like black stripes.
Thorax is bright yellowish green with sharply defined blackish brown stripes.
Wings are clear, black costas. Pterostigmas black, 4.2 mm long.
Abdomen is largely black, with large, light yellow areas on segment 3, and wide ring of light yellow on first half of s 7. S 8 to 10 swell into a moderate club, foliations absent. Appendages noticeably yellow with blackish tips.

Female:

Female is similar in colour, stockier in overall appearance.

Distribution and habitat:

Mostly streams, but also rivers, in open areas in forest or shaded by gallery forest. Often found at faster sections (rapids, falls) of rivers with rocks and a gravelly and/or sandy bottom.
From 0 to 900 m above sea level.

Behaviour:

Tends to hunt from open branches and twigs higher above ground. Often turning to same perch.

Comparison Chart

Click Here for a detailed comparison chart for the 5 Hooktail species seen in southern Africa

Compared with other species:

Differences in claspers and foliations. Southern Fingertail, Gomphidea quarrei has no foliations and short slender upper appendages with a very short lower appendage. Lined Claspertail, Onuchogomphus supinus have inferior appendages that are very fine, upwardly curved with two fine prongs when viewed from side Common Tigertail, Ictinogomphus.ferox has inferior (lower) appendages that curves upwards to tough the superior appendages and large foliations below S 8. Great Hooktail, Paragomphus magnus has very large superior appendages with the tips curving back to almost face S10 and no foliations. Flapper Hooktail, Paragomphus sabicus has superior appendages that are long, slender and gently curved, yellow with brown tips with no foliages
Foliations varies in size colour or not present, This is a useful identification aid to differentiate between the different Gomphidae species.
The abdominal stripes, dorsal thorax and the markings on the side of the thorax are diagnostic in the mentioned species