Libellula needhami
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Libellula needhami, or Needham's skimmer, is a species of skimmer in the family of dragonflies known as Libellulidae. It is found in the Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico, and the United States. The IUCN conservation status of Libellula needhami is "LC", least concern, with no immediate threat to the species' existence. The population is stable.
The species is named after the American entomologist James George Needham. Males have a red face, while females have a brown or yellow face. This species can be separated from the very similar Libellula auripennis by the following:
their posterior (rear) wing veins do not become orange their costa changes color on opposite sides of the node: outer half is lighter, inner half is darker their hind tibia are brown, not black Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Needham's Skimmer sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 268 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 161st most-seen of the 1624 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Needham's Skimmer in Austin on a given day, against under 5% in October to April, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Needham's Skimmer 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 8 cities where we can rate Needham's Skimmer sightings, Austin ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Miami (United States, about 10%) and Houston (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Libellula
The closest relatives of the Needham's Skimmer that you can see in Austin (genus Libellula, Chasers and King Skimmers) are Widow Skimmer (about 20%), Neon Skimmer (about 10%) and Comanche Skimmer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Needham's Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Austin (268 verified sightings), 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.
