Dingy Dusk-Darter

Dingy Dusk-Darter

Zyxomma petiolatum

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

15 Verified sightings at Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]
6 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Dingy Dusk-Darter

Zyxomma petiolatum, known by the common names long-tailed duskdarter, brown dusk hawk and dingy duskflyer, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is widespread in many Asian countries, New Guinea, northern Australia and islands in the Pacific.

It is a medium-sized chocolate-brown colored dragonfly with emerald-green eyes. Female is similar to the males. It breeds in small pools, ponds, swamps and slow flowing rivers. It is crepuscular but may also be active during overcast days. Usually seen in the evening as an extremely rapid flyer, flying low over water-bodies, hawking midges and mosquitoes. In daytime it roosts among vegetation and can be difficult to find.

The genus name Zyxomma is derived from the Greek ζεῦξις (zeuxis, "yoking" or "joining together") and ὄμμα (omma, "eye"), referring to the large, adjoining eyes. The species name petiolatum is derived from the Latin petiolus ("small foot" or "leaf stalk"), referring to the excessively slender part of the abdomen.

List of odonates of Sri Lanka List of odonates of India List of odonata of Kerala List of Odonata species of Australia Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kozhikode 🇮🇳 India
~20%
2 Yogyakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
3 Ponnani 🇮🇳 India
~10%
4 Kochi 🇮🇳 India
~10%
5 Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
6 Tasikmalaya 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
7 Kolkata 🇮🇳 India
~10%
8 Kollam 🇮🇳 India
~10%
9 Kaohsiung 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~10%
10 Guangzhou 🇨🇳 China
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Dingy Dusk-Darter in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dingy Dusk-Darter sighting in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 83rd most-seen of the 182 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Dingy Dusk-Darter in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?

July

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Dingy Dusk-Darter in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, against under 5% in March, May and December–January, the lowest months. That is one of Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]'s driest months, with about 100 mm of rain against 310 mm in November.

What time of day is best to see a Dingy Dusk-Darter?

Between 3 and 6 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dingy Dusk-Darter sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] the best place to see a Dingy Dusk-Darter?

5th of 16

Of the 16 cities where we can rate Dingy Dusk-Darter sightings, Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Kozhikode (India, about 20%), Yogyakarta (Indonesia, about 20%) and Ponnani (India, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Dingy Dusk-Darter live in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?

Same family: Libellulidae

The closest relatives of the Dingy Dusk-Darter that you can see in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Pied Paddy Skimmer (about 40%), Common Picture Wing (about 30%) and Ditch Jewel (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Dingy Dusk-Darter sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Dingy Dusk-Darter is recorded against all the insects logged in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] (15 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.

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