Common Spreadwing vs Elegant Spreadwing

Lestes sponsa compared with Lestes inaequalis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Spreadwing	Elegant Spreadwing
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Odonata (Odonata)	Odonata (Odonata)
Family same	Lestidae	Lestidae
Genus same	Lestes	Lestes
Species	Lestes sponsa	Lestes inaequalis

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Common Spreadwing

LC — Least Concern

Elegant Spreadwing

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Spreadwing	Elegant 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.

Elegant Spreadwing

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

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.