Libellula needhami
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Needham's Skimmer sighting in New York City on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 740th most-seen of the 1623 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Needham's Skimmer in New York City on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
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.
8th of 8
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Needham's Skimmer sightings, New York City ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Miami (United States, about 10%), Houston (United States, about 10%) and Austin (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Libellula
The closest relatives of the Needham's Skimmer that you can see in New York City (genus Libellula, Chasers and King Skimmers) are Great Blue Skimmer (about 10%) and Twelve-Spotted 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 New York City (23 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.
