Somatochlora metallica
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brilliant Emerald sighting in Novosibirsk on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 78th most-seen of the 216 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.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Brilliant Emerald in Novosibirsk on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months. That is one of Novosibirsk's wettest months, with about 75 mm of rain against 25 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.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Brilliant Emerald sightings, Novosibirsk has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Moscow (Russia, under 5%).
Same order: Odonata
The closest relatives of the Brilliant Emerald that you can see in Novosibirsk (order Odonata, Dragonflies and Damselflies) are Yellow-Winged Darter (about 20%), Red-Eyed Damselfly (about 10%) and Black-Tailed Skimmer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brilliant Emerald is recorded against all the insects logged in Novosibirsk (14 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.
