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]

American rubyspot
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Suborder: Zygoptera
Family: Calopterygidae
Genus: Hetaerina
Species:
H. americana
Binomial name
Hetaerina americana
(Fabricius, 1798) [1]
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.

Etymology

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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

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  1. ^ "Hetaerina americana". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  2. ^ a b "Distribution Viewer". OdonataCentral. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Hetaerina americana". BugGuide.Net. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  5. ^ Paulson, Dennis R; Dunkle, Sidney W (14 April 2009). "A Checklist of North American Odonata": 5. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)