Common Spreadwing vs Emerald Spreadwing

Lestes sponsa compared with Lestes dryas

Key Differences

• Common Spreadwing is Least Concern while Emerald Spreadwing is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Spreadwing	Emerald Spreadwing
Kingdom same	Animalia (حيوانات)	Animalia (حيوانات)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (مفصليات الأرجل)	Arthropoda (مفصليات الأرجل)
Class same	Insecta (حشرات)	Insecta (حشرات)
Order same	Odonata (يعسوبيات)	Odonata (يعسوبيات)
Family same	Lestidae	Lestidae
Genus same	Lestes	Lestes
Species	Lestes sponsa	Lestes dryas

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Spreadwing and Emerald Spreadwing share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Lestes.

Conservation Status

Common Spreadwing

LC — Least Concern

Emerald Spreadwing

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Spreadwing	Emerald Spreadwing
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Spreadwing

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Emerald Spreadwing

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Spreadwing

Common Spreadwing (Lestes sponsa) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Emerald Spreadwing

Emerald Spreadwing (Lestes dryas) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild, with declining populations and increasing habitat pressure.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden