Close-lobed dandelion vs Long-tailed Sylph

Taraxacum densilobum compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Close-lobed dandelion	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)	Trochilidae
Genus	Taraxacum	Aglaiocercus
Species	Taraxacum densilobum	Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

Close-lobed dandelion

LC — Least Concern

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Close-lobed dandelion	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Close-lobed dandelion

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Close-lobed dandelion

Close-lobed dandelion refers to a microspecies within the extraordinarily diverse aggregate Taraxacum officinale sensu lato (family Asteraceae), the common dandelion complex. Dandelions are notoriously complex taxonomically due to widespread apomixis — asexual seed production without fertilization — which generates thousands of clonal microspecies that are morphologically distinguishable but reproductively isolated. Close-lobed forms are characterized by leaf lobes that are positioned closely together, with shorter spaces between the lobes than in more deeply divided or open-lobed morphs. This leaf morphology is one of dozens of characters — including lobe shape, involucre bract posture, achene color, and scape characteristics — used by Taraxacum specialists to delineate the hundreds or thousands of named microspecies. Dandelions of all morphologies are ecologically important as early-season nectar and pollen sources for bumblebees, honeybees, and numerous other pollinators. Their deep taproots break up compacted soils and bring nutrients from depth, and their seeds provide food for finches and other seed-eating birds across open habitats in temperate regions.

Long-tailed Sylph

One of the most strikingly ornamented hummingbirds, male long-tailed sylphs have iridescent green plumage and dramatically elongated, ribbon-like outer tail feathers reaching up to 22 cm — over three times the body length. Found in Andean cloud forests of Colombia and Venezuela, they inhabit humid montane forest between 1,400–2,800 meters elevation. Males perform elaborate display flights to attract females. Their extravagant tails are a classic example of sexual selection via female preference.