Ceriagrion glabrum
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Ceriagrion glabrum is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. Its common names include common orange, common citril, common pond damsel, common waxtail, orange waxtail and gewone aljander. It is widespread in Africa, where it is found in habitats that are dominated by reeds.
This is a small to medium size damselfly (length up to 46 mm (1.8 in), wingspan up to 53 mm (2.1 in)). The eyes are greenish with a dark grey cap. As is the case in many damselflies, this species shows strong sexual dimorphism. Males have a bright orange, unmarked abdomen and thorax, with a lighter yellow-orange colour on the sides of the abdomen. Females range from brown to green to orange. They become increasingly orange with age, although they never reach the same striking brightness of the males.
This is by far the most common and widespread African Ceriagrion species. It has been observed to occur in Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 6 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 4 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Citril sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 225th most-seen of the 274 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Citril in Pretoria on a given day, against under 5% in January–February and April–November, the lowest months. Those are among Pretoria's wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Citril sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Common Citril sightings, Pretoria ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Antananarivo (Madagascar, about 40%), Durban (South Africa, about 10%) and Harare (Zimbabwe, about 10%).
Same family: Coenagrionidae
The closest relatives of the Common Citril that you can see in Pretoria (family Coenagrionidae, Narrow-winged Damselflies) are Salisbury Sprite (about 10%), Common Bluetail (about 10%) and Powder-Faced Sprite (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Citril is recorded against all the insects logged in Pretoria (5 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.
