Austroaeschna subapicalis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Austroaeschna subapicalis is a species of large dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae, known commonly as the conehead darner. It inhabits mountain streams in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia. Austroaeschna subapicalis is a very dark dragonfly with indistinct pale markings.
It appears similar to the mountain darner, Austroaeschna atrata, which is found in alpine areas of southern New South Wales and Victoria. The genus name Austroaeschna combines the prefix austro- (from Latin auster, meaning “south wind”, hence “southern”) with Aeshna, a genus of dragonflies.
The species name subapicalis is derived from the Latin sub ("under" or "beneath") and apicalis ("at the tip"), referring to teeth located well short of the end of the male appendage. List of dragonflies of Australia Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Conehead Darner sighting in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 36 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 181st most-seen of the 789 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Conehead Darner in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and May–October, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Conehead Darner 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 3 parks where we can rate Conehead Darner sightings, Blue Mountains National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Grampians National Park (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Conehead Darner is recorded against all the insects logged in Blue Mountains National Park (36 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.
