Operation Rubyspot
and the
Search for Stylurus in Massachusetts
since: July 8, 2005
updated: Wednesday, February 17, 2010
I am always interested in
reports of Rubyspots in the Northeast send your 2010 sightings to me at
dave@rubyspot.net
Click here to
view past sightings
The mission for 2005 will be to expand on the survey of American Rubyspots Hetaerina americana begun last year. The draft report may be viewed as a PDF file at: Operation Rubyspot 2004 Report. In 2005 we will continue to record the distribution and abundance of this beautiful damselfly and continue to search watersheds across the state where this species was not reported in 2004.
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American Rubyspot Hetaerina americana |
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Flight Period of American Rubyspot
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If you see this species in New England Please E-mail dhs@rubyspot.net include: Date Number, River, Town, and GPS or Delorme Atlas grid location include digital images of individual and a habitat shot. |
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At left is the draft map
of American Rubyspot observations for 2004 (click to enlarge). As
you can see from the map there are large sections of the Northeast,
Northwest, and South Central part of the state where these lovely
damselflies may be lurking but have not been reported. Their river
habitat is unlikely to occur in extreme Southeast Ma or on Cape Cod
but you are welcome to prove me wrong. |
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The new objective for 2005 will be to locate and document 3 Riverine clubtails which are currently listed by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program these include: Riverine Clubtail Stylurus amnicola , Arrow Clubtail Stylurus spiniceps, and Zebra Clubtail Stylurus scudderi. The goal of this year's survey will be to locate new sites for these species focusing on watersheds in Massachusetts where they have not been previously documented.
| Riverine Clubtail Stylurus amnicola | Arrow Clubtail Stylurus spiniceps | Zebra Clubtail Stylurus scudderi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Riverine Clubtail Fact Sheet - PDF | Arrow Clubtail Fact Sheet - PDF | Zebra Clubtail Fact Sheet - PDF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flight Period of
Riverine Clubtail Stylurus amnicola
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Flight Period of Arrow Clubtail Stylurus spiniceps
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Flight Period of Zebra Clubtail Stylurus scudderi
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 Distribution of Riverine Clubtail |
 Distribution of Arrow Clubtail |
 Distribution of Zebra Clubtail |
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| If you see these species in New England Please E-mail dhs@rubyspot.net include: Date Number, River, Town, and GPS or Delorme Atlas grid location include digital images of individual and a habitat shot. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Please e-mail all reports, images, and questions about these species to dhs@rubyspot.net All reports will be acknowledged. Because of the difficulty in Identifying the Stylurus species all records will be categorized by the level of documentation received.
Specimens are preferred and will become part of the permanent collection of MNHESP. Exuvia suspected to be of these species should be collected and all specimens sent to "Operation Rubyspot": Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street, Athol, Ma. 01331 for confirmation of ID and cataloging.
Capture measure, photograph and release
Clear digital or traditional images of free flying individuals which clearly show the field marks as described in the Documentation link below.
Sight records will be recorded and evaluated considering: Observer familiarity with the species, description, habitat, behavior and seasonality
Check the link below for details on how you can participate in this project
Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program
