Phaon iridipennis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Phaon iridipennis, commonly known as the glistening demoiselle or glinsterjuffertjie, is a species of damselfly in the family Calopterygidae. This is a large (length: up to 75 mm (3.0 in), wingspan: up to 87 mm (3.4 in)) damselfly with long legs. The common name comes from its iridescent wings, which sparkle with purple-blue flecks in the sunlight. The wings become more smoky with age. pterostigmata may or may not be present, although it is unclear what drives this difference. When present, they start off as light brown in colour and become darker with age. The thorax and abdomen are a coppery green in both sexes, although females are duller and browner than the males.
This species is common and widespread. It is found in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa; from South Africa to Ethiopia and Senegal, particularly in more tropical areas. It also occurs on Madagascar. It is most common along rivers and streams with gallery forest, but also occurs in coastal, dune and swamp forests, as well as the forested edges of pans and marshes. It is highly dependent on shade, and is rarely seen out in open sunlight. It does, however, sometimes occur... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Glistening Demoiselle sighting in Durban on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 89th most-seen of the 401 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.
March to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Glistening Demoiselle in Durban on a given day, against under 5% in October to February, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Glistening Demoiselle sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Durban, in our data
Durban is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Glistening Demoiselle sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Odonata
The closest relatives of the Glistening Demoiselle that you can see in Durban (order Odonata, Dragonflies and Damselflies) are Julia Skimmer (about 30%), Lucia Widow (about 20%) and Red-Veined Dropwing (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Glistening Demoiselle is recorded against all the insects logged in Durban (26 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.
