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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 (Fabricius, 1798)
Range of H. americana

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. The female may have either green or copper colored marks on the thorax.

• Female copper form
• Female green form

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. 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.

References

1. "Hetaerina americana". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
2. ^ "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)

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• Calopterygidae
• Odonata of North America
• Insects described in 1798
• Calopterygoidea stubs