Lestes virgatus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Lestes virgatus is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. It is known commonly as the smoky spreadwing. It is native to much of southeastern Africa, where it is widespread. It lives in pools and swamps in forest and woodland habitat.
Lestes virgatus is a damselfly classified in the family Lestidae, known as the spreadwings. The species was first scientifically described by German biologist Hermann Burmeister in 1839 under the name Agrion virgatum. The type specimen was from Durban. Burmeister included a brief physical account of the species, describing a damselfly about 43 mm (1.7 in) long characterized by four bronzey stripes on its pronotum, an abdomen with a coppery-black back. An 1862 publication by odonatologist Edmond de Sélys Longchamps classified the species into the genus Lestes, calling it Lestes virgata; subsequent writers starting with William F. Kirby in 1890 have corrected the gender to Lestes virgatus. The specific epithet is the nominative case of the Latin adjective virgatus, meaning "long and slender" (as a twig or rod, virga) or banded, striped. Despite being sometimes known as the "virginal spreadwing", the species epithet... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Smoky Spreadwing sighting in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 164th most-seen of the 198 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, April–May and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Smoky Spreadwing in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, June–October and December, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Smoky Spreadwing sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Smoky Spreadwing sightings, Addo Elephant National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same order: Odonata
The closest relatives of the Smoky Spreadwing that you can see in Addo Elephant National Park (order Odonata, Dragonflies and Damselflies) are Common Bluetail (about 20%), Broad Scarlet (about 10%) and Swamp Bluet (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Smoky Spreadwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Addo Elephant National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
