Notoaeschna sagittata
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Notoaeschna sagittata is a species of Australian dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae, known as the southern riffle darner. It is endemic to eastern Australia, occurring south of the Hunter River, New South Wales, where it inhabits rapid streams.
Notoaeschna sagittata is a large, dark brown to black dragonfly with yellow markings. It appears similar to Notoaeschna geminata, the northern riffle darner, which occurs north of the Hunter River. The genus name Notoaeschna is derived from the Greek νότος (notos, "south" or "the south wind"), combined with -aeschna, a suffix commonly used for dragonflies associated with the Aeshna group. The name refers to a southern representative of that group.
The species name sagittata is derived from the Latin sagitta ("arrow") and the suffix -atus ("provided with" or "marked with"), referring to spearhead-shaped markings on the abdomen. List of Odonata species of Australia Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Riffle Darner sighting in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 409th 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 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October to December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Riffle Darner in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to September, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Riffle Darner sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 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 Southern Riffle Darner sightings, Blue Mountains National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kosciuszko National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Aeshnidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Riffle Darner that you can see in Blue Mountains National Park (family Aeshnidae, Darners) are Sydney Mountain Darner (about 20%), Eastern Evening Darner (about 10%) and Blue-Spotted Hawker (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Riffle Darner is recorded against all the insects logged in Blue Mountains National Park (10 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.
