Head to head
American Rubyspot vs Ebony Jewelwing
An American rubyspot and an ebony jewelwing are both strikingly coloured damselflies of North American streams, yet each has taken a completely different approach to standing out, one through a bold patch of colour and the other through fully coloured wings and an unusual flight style.
| American Rubyspot | Ebony Jewelwing | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Hetaerina americana | Calopteryx maculata |
| Wing pattern | Ruby-red patch at wing base | Entirely solid black wings |
| Body colour | Metallic bronze or green | Metallic green to blue-green |
| Habitat | Flowing streams and rivers | Shaded, slow-moving forest streams |
| Flight style | Typical fast damselfly flight | Slow, fluttering wingbeat |
| Territorial behaviour | Males defend stream-edge territory | Males perform fluttering courtship display |
| Range | Broad US and Mexico | Eastern North America |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
American Rubyspot vs Ebony Jewelwing: common questions
How can you tell an American rubyspot from an ebony jewelwing?
Wing pattern is the clearest giveaway: the American rubyspot shows a deep ruby-red patch confined to the base of each wing with the rest of the wing left clear, while the ebony jewelwing has entirely solid black wings from base to tip, a much more complete and unusual colouration among damselflies generally.
Why does the ebony jewelwing fly so differently from the American rubyspot?
The ebony jewelwing's notably slow, fluttering wingbeat is thought to help display its striking black-and-green colouration during courtship, a style quite different from the faster, more direct flight typical of the American rubyspot and many other damselfly species that prioritise efficient movement over visual display.
Do the American rubyspot and ebony jewelwing live in the same kind of water?
Not quite; the American rubyspot specifically favours flowing streams and rivers in open settings, while the ebony jewelwing favours shaded, slow-moving streams within forested habitat, so while both are stream-associated damselflies, the amount of forest cover and current speed at a given site often determines which of the two is more likely to be found there.