About Hetaerina americana (Fabricius, 1798)
The American rubyspot, scientifically named Hetaerina americana, is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. Males of this species have a lustrous red head and thorax. Individuals of both genders have a brilliant green abdomen. Females may have either green or copper-colored markings on their thorax. When mating, the male uses claspers located at the end of his abdomen to grasp the female behind her head. The female then bends her abdomen to connect with segments 2–3 of the male, where the male's sperm is stored. This connection forms a shape called a "wheel" or "valentine". Before injecting his own sperm into the female, the male forcefully removes any sperm stored by the female from previous matings.
