Ischnura senegalensis
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Ischnura senegalensis, also known variously as common bluetail, marsh bluetail, ubiquitous bluetail, African bluetail, and Senegal golden dartlet, is a widespread damselfly of the family Coenagrionidae. It is native from Africa, through the Middle East, to southern and eastern Asia.
It is a small damselfly with black capped bluish green eyes. Its thorax is black on dorsum and greenish blue on the sides. Its abdomen is black on dorsum up to segment 7. Segments 1 and 2 are greenish blue and 3 to 7 are khaki yellow on the sides. Segments 8 and 9 are azure blue, with 9 black on dorsum. Segment 10 is black on dorsum and khaki yellow on the sides. The green on thorax and abdomen may turn to blue in both male and female when aged.
The females of this species exhibit sexual mimicry. One group mimics the males' colour (androchromes). Other group will have their own female colouration (gynochromes). Androchrom female looks exactly like the male except in sexual characteristics. In gynochrome, the eyes are olive green with orange above. Sides of the thorax is mud colored, will pale when matured. All the abdominal segments are marked with black on dorsum. The lateral... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 5 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 10 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Kota | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Berhampore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Taichung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 5 | Kochi | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Vasai-Virar | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Mysuru | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Kolkata | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Chennai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Yogyakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Bluetail sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 69th most-seen of the 274 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Bluetail in Pretoria on a given day, against under 5% in January and May–November, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Bluetail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
43rd of 52
Of the 52 cities where we can rate Common Bluetail sightings, Pretoria ranks 43rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Antananarivo (Madagascar, about 50%), Kota (India, about 40%) and Berhampore (India, about 30%).
Same family: Coenagrionidae
The closest relatives of the Common Bluetail that you can see in Pretoria (family Coenagrionidae, Narrow-winged Damselflies) are Salisbury Sprite (about 10%), Powder-Faced Sprite (about 10%) and Swamp Bluet (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Bluetail is recorded against all the insects logged in Pretoria (27 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.
