Orthetrum villosovittatum
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Orthetrum villosovittatum, known as the fiery skimmer, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Its range is from the Moluccas, New Guinea and neighbouring islands as well as Australia. In Australia it is found in Victoria through eastern New South Wales and Queensland, north inland Queensland, Cape York Peninsula and north Northern Territory.
It is a common species through most of its range. Orthetrum villosovittatum is a medium-sized dragonfly with a wingspan of 60–85 mm. Mature males have dark greyish to greenish-brown thoraxes and red abdomens, with the abdomen constricted at segment four. Young males have an amber and black colouring. Females are ochre-coloured.
Orthetrum villosovittatum inhabits boggy seepages, streams and swamps. The genus name Orthetrum is derived from the Greek ὀρθός (orthos, "straight") and ἦτρον (ētron, "abdomen"), referring to the parallel-sided abdomen of the genus.
The species name villosovittatum is derived from the Latin villosus ("shaggy" or "hairy") and vittatus ("banded" or "striped"), referring to the hairy dark streak on the side of the thorax. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 8 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Fiery Skimmer sighting in Daintree National Park on a given day, based on 102 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 15th most-seen of the 856 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and November
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Fiery Skimmer in Daintree National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February, the lowest month. Those are among Daintree National Park's driest months, with about 65 mm of rain a month against 380 mm in January.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fiery Skimmer sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Fiery Skimmer sightings, Daintree National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Lamington National Park (Australia, about 40%).
Same genus: Orthetrum
The closest relatives of the Fiery Skimmer that you can see in Daintree National Park (genus Orthetrum) are Green Skimmer (about 10%) and Slender Skimmer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Fiery Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Daintree National Park (102 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.
