The sparkling jewelwing (''Calopteryx dimidiata'') is a species of

damselfly Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings alo ...

in the family

Calopterygidae The Calopterygidae are a family of damselflies, in the suborder Zygoptera. They are commonly known as the broad-winged damselflies, demoiselles, or jewelwings. These rather large damselflies have wingspans of 50–80 mm (compared to about 4 ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to the eastern and southeastern United States. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is woodland and open areas near forest rivers and streams.

Description

The sparkling jewelwing is one of the smallest damselflies in its family with a total length of . The thorax and the long slender abdomen are metallic bluish-green and the eyes are brown. In males the end fifth of each wing is black, with a straight line separating the dark section from the transparent hyaline remainder of the wing. Females are a slightly more bronzy-green. Their wings may be similar to those of the male but less clearly defined, or only the hind wings may be tipped with black, or the wings may be entirely clear. There is usually a small white

pterostigma The pterostigma (plural: pterostigmata) is a group of specialized cells in the outer wings of insects, which are often thickened or coloured, and thus stand out from other cells. It is particularly noticeable in dragonflies, but present also in ...

near the tip of the wings. Immature adults have reddish eyes and generally duller colouring. The male sparkling jewelwing has fore-wings and hind wings that do not differ in size by more than . The apex of both pairs of wing has a black band that terminates in a straight line distal to the nodus. The sternum of the tenth abdominal segment is black. These features distinguish this species from the others in its genus that share its range.

Distribution and habitat

The sparkling jewelwing is found in the eastern and southeastern United States. Its range extends from

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

and parts of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, mainly on the

Atlantic coastal plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe a ...

. Its typical habitat is sandy forest streams, particularly acidic ones, with fast-flowing water in locations with plentiful riverside vegetation.

Ecology

The sparkling jewelwing is on the wing between May and September in New Jersey but between February and November in Florida. Both males and females can often be seen together near breeding sites, with males patrolling small territories, circling and chasing off rivals. When a female is present, ritualised courtship flights precede copulation which lasts for about two minutes. After this, the female walks down the stem of an emergent plant and spends about fifteen minutes underwater, laying a batch of several hundred eggs before returning to the surface.

References

External links

*NatureServe. 2015
''Calopteryx dimidiata''.
NatureServe Explorer. Version 7.1. Accessed: January 20, 2016. {{Taxonbar, from=Q3041002 Calopterygidae Odonata of North America Endemic insects of the United States Insects described in 1839