Atrocalopteryx atrata is an East Asian damselfly with all-black wings; males have a metallic green body. It lives along slow, weedy streams in Japan, Korea, and China and is not found in the United States.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A large damselfly about 2.2–2.6 in (57–67 mm) long. Both sexes have all-black wings with no white spot near the tip. Males are black with a metallic green sheen; females are blackish brown.
Look-alikes
Ebony jewelwingCalopteryx maculata
Ebony jewelwing females have smoky wings with a white spot near each tip; females of this Asian species lack those white spots. If you're in the eastern US, a black-winged damselfly is almost certainly the ebony jewelwing.
Why they get mixed upMales of both have black wings and a shiny metallic green-blue body.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Slow streams
- Lowland rivers
- Streamside woods
- Range
- Native to East Asia: Japan, Korea, and China. It does not occur in North America.
- Preferred conditions
- Lowland rivers and streams with gentle current and plenty of water plants, sometimes even in cities.
Behavior
- Activity
- Instead of darting or hovering like most dragonflies, it flutters slowly, a bit like a butterfly. At rest it holds all four wings closed together over its back.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- After mating, the female lays her eggs inside the stems of water plants near the surface.
Name and classification
- About the name
- It was long placed in the jewelwing genus Calopteryx as Calopteryx atrata and has since been moved to Atrocalopteryx.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
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