Brachythemis contaminata
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Brachythemis contaminata, ditch jewel, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in many Asian countries. It is a small dragonfly with brown-capped yellowish-green eyes. Its thorax is olivaceous-brown, marked with a reddish-brown humeral stripe and two brownish stripes on each side. Wings are transparent; but with a broad bright orange fascia extending from base to within 2 to 3 cells of reddish pterostigma. Abdomen is ochreous-red, marked with dorsal and sub-dorsal brown
stripes. Anal appendages are in reddish-brown. Female is similar to the male; but in pale yellowish-green color. Wings are transparent, tinted with yellow at extreme base;, but the bright orange fascia seen in the male absent.
It breeds in weedy ponds, lakes, and slowly moving streams; especially in sluggish waters. It is very common along sewage canals, tanks, ponds and ditches. This type of dragonfly has the smallest genome of its kind. The entire circular genome is 15,056 bp in length and represents the smallest in presently known odonatan mitogenomes. (Yu et al 2014). Its first species to have a complete mitochondrial genome among the family Libellulidae.... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sundarbans National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 5 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 8 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 9 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 10 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 11 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 12 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 13 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yogyakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Coimbatore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Yangon | 🇲🇲 Myanmar | |
| 4 | Kota | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Makassar | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 6 | Kolkata | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Hanoi | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 8 | Salem | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Thiruvananthapuram | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Surat | 🇮🇳 India |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Ditch Jewel sighting in Cuc Phuong National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 108th most-seen of the 126 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and May
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Ditch Jewel in Cuc Phuong National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to February, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ditch Jewel 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 13
Of the 13 parks where we can rate Ditch Jewel sightings, Cuc Phuong National Park ranks 8th at about 20%. The best odds are in Sundarbans National Park (India, about 30%), Keoladeo National Park (India, about 30%) and Mudumalai National Park (India, about 30%).
Same family: Libellulidae
The closest relatives of the Ditch Jewel that you can see in Cuc Phuong National Park (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Slender Skimmer (about 40%), Crimson-Tailed Marsh Hawk (about 30%) and Common Picture Wing (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ditch Jewel is recorded against all the insects logged in Cuc Phuong National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
