Somatochlora metallica
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The brilliant emerald, Somatochlora metallica, is a middle-sized species of dragonfly. It is the largest and greenest of the Somatochlora species; 50–55 millimetres (2.0–2.2 in) long. S. metallica is found across most of northern Eurasia where it is the commonest of its genus. In Great Britain, it is locally common in south east England and has a very restricted population in Scotland.
The East Asian Somatochlora vera, scientifically described in 1914 by Aleksandr Bartenev based on a specimen from Ussuri, Siberia (and later also reported in northern China), is typically treated as part of S. metallica, but has also been considered a synonym of the East Asian S. exuberata. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Brilliant Emerald sighting in Moscow on a given day, based on 53 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 222nd most-seen of the 1111 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.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brilliant Emerald in Moscow on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months. Those are among Moscow's wettest months, with about 90 mm of rain a month against 40 mm in February.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brilliant Emerald sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Brilliant Emerald sightings, Moscow ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Novosibirsk (Russia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brilliant Emerald is recorded against all the insects logged in Moscow (53 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.
