Ebony jewelwing vs Beautiful demoiselle

These two are easy to mix up. Here's how to tell an ebony jewelwing from a beautiful demoiselle, and whether either one bites or stings.

≠The key differences

Native to North America and entirely dark-winged in males; range does not overlap with C. virgo, so geographic location separates them.

	Ebony jewelwing	Beautiful demoiselle
To humans	Non-toxic	Non-toxic
Size	Body length 45-60 mm; wingspan 60-80 mm	Body length 45-50 mm; wingspan 60-80 mm
Colours	Ebony black, Metallic blue-green, Iridescent teal, Smoky brown, White	Iridescent blue-green, Deep metallic green, Dark wing (blue-violet to black), Brown (female wings)
Family	Calopterygidae	Calopterygidae
Habitat	Riparian zones: clean, slow to moderate flowing streams and rivers with nearby vegetation and sunlight; also ponds and wetlands with flowing inflow.	Shady, clean, fast-flowing streams and small rivers with sandy or gravelly beds, marginal vegetation and overhanging shrubs or trees.
Range	Eastern North America: from southern Canada through the eastern United States, generally east of the Great Plains.	Widespread in much of Europe, North Africa and parts of western Asia; locally common where suitable habitat exists.
Active	Warm months (late spring through summer); most active during daytime, especially sunny periods.	Spring and summer (often April to August depending on latitude); active in daylight, especially on warm, calm weather.
Pest?	No	No

Male: metallic blue-green body with entirely dark, opaque wings (no pale spot).
Female: metallic green/bronze body with smoky wings and a small white spot near each wing tip.
Large size for a damselfly with relatively broad wings held together above the body when at rest.
Habitat: commonly found fluttering and perching along shaded streams and rivers.

Males: metallic blue-green body with broad, uniformly dark iridescent wings (often blue-violet in sunlight).
Females: metallic green body with translucent smoky-brown wings and a white spot near each wingtip.
Large size for a damselfly and broad wings (family Calopterygidae) compared with narrow-winged damselflies.
Frequent presence along shaded, fast-flowing streams with overhanging vegetation.

Native to North America and entirely dark-winged in males; range does not overlap with C. virgo, so geographic location separates them.

Ebony jewelwing: Non-toxic. Beautiful demoiselle: Non-toxic. Ebony jewelwings do not have venom and do not pose a threat to people. Not dangerous.

Identification from photos is never certain: don't handle insects you can't identify, and get medical advice for bites, stings or allergic reactions.