Diplacodes melanopsis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Diplacodes melanopsis is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae known commonly as the blackfaced percher or black-faced percher. It occurs on the Australian mainland from around Brisbane to the South Australian-Victorian border.
Diplacodes melanopsis is a small dragonfly. Mature males have a black face and front of its body, and a red abdomen with black markings; females are amber and yellow with black markings. The genus name Diplacodes combines Diplax, a genus name derived from the Greek δίς (dis, "twice") and πλάξ (plax, "flat and broad"), with the Greek suffix –ώδης (-ōdēs, "resembling" or "having the nature of"). The name refers to the similarity of the genus to Diplax and Diplacina.
The species name melanopsis is derived from the Greek μελαν- (melan, "black") and ὄψις (opsis, "face" or "appearance"), referring to its brilliant black face. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Faced Percher sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 312th most-seen of the 875 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December and January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Faced Percher in Melbourne on a given day, against under 5% in February to November, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-Faced Percher sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Black-Faced Percher sightings, Melbourne ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Sydney (Australia, about 10%) and Brisbane (Australia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-Faced Percher is recorded against all the insects logged in Melbourne (37 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.
