Erythrodiplax berenice
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Erythrodiplax berenice, commonly known as the seaside dragonlet, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found mainly at coastal marshes, mangrove swamps, and alkaline lakes of eastern North America. It is unique among dragonflies of the western hemisphere in that it can breed in seawater.
The seaside dragonlet is a relatively small, slender-bodied skimmer. Males reach a uniform black at maturity, which is then overlaid with waxy pruinosity. Their eyes are dark red on top with a gradient to light green below. Females have a similar dark red to light green-gray eye color gradient, but their body coloration is much more variable than the males'. The thorax usually has a lemon yellow to orange background with many black stripes, but some have an entirely black thorax. The abdomen is often black (sometimes gold or orange) on the first three segments (S1-S3) and on the final segments (S8-S10). The middle segments (S4-S7) are then often orange above and black below, forming a chainlike pattern of orange. Some common female color patterns include: mostly bright orange on thorax and abdomen; black thorax with bright orange abdomen (aging to a masculine... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Ciénaga de Zapata | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 6 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Seaside Dragonlet sighting in Ciénaga de Zapata on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 9 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, April and November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Seaside Dragonlet in Ciénaga de Zapata on a given day, against under 5% in February and December, the lowest months. Those are among Ciénaga de Zapata's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain a month against 150 mm in June. September has too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Seaside Dragonlet sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Seaside Dragonlet sightings, Ciénaga de Zapata ranks 5th at about 20%. The best odds are in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (United States, about 40%), Everglades National Park (United States, about 30%) and Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Seaside Dragonlet is recorded against all the insects logged in Ciénaga de Zapata (6 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.
