American rubyspot
The American rubyspot (Hetaerina americana) is a damselfly of the family Calopterygidae. Males have a lustrous red head and thorax. The abdomen of both genders is brilliant green.[3] The female may have either green or copper colored marks on the thorax.[4]
Female copper form
Female green form
| American rubyspot | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Family: | Calopterygidae |
| Genus: | Hetaerina |
| Species: | H. americana |
| Binomial name | |
| Hetaerina americana | |
 | |
| Range of H. americana [2] | |
During mating, a male uses claspers at the end of his abdomen to grab a female behind the head, and the female bends her abdomen to engage segments 2–3 of the male, where sperm is stored, forming a "wheel" or "valentine". The male forcefully expels sperm stored by the female from prior matings before injecting his own.
Male above, female below- Mating wheel; sperm removal
Etymology
The name highlights this damselfly's status as the most widespread of the North American rubyspots.[5] It is reported from all of the lower 48 US states except Washington and Idaho, and is also found in Mexico and southern and eastern Canada.[2]
References
- "Hetaerina americana". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- "Distribution Viewer". OdonataCentral. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
- Abbott, John C. (2005). Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States. Princeton University Press. p. 25. ISBN 0-691-11364-5.
- "Hetaerina americana". BugGuide.Net. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- Paulson, Dennis R; Dunkle, Sidney W (14 April 2009). "A Checklist of North American Odonata": 5.
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