Orthetrum serapia
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Orthetrum serapia, the green skimmer, is a freshwater dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. The serapia species is present in Australia, the Philippines, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. It inhabits a wide range of still and sluggish waters, often shallow. In Australia it ranges from the top end of the Northern Territory to about Mackay in central Queensland.
Orthetrum serapia is a medium-sized dragonfly with a wingspan of 60-85mm. Its wings are clear except for a small dark spot at the base of the hindwing. The thorax is greenish to greyish yellow with black markings. The abdomen is black with pale yellow or pale green markings. Orthetrum serapia appears very similar to Orthetrum sabina and can be confused where the range of the two overlaps in north-eastern Australia.
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 serapia is an eponym honouring Saint Serapia, a slave, martyr, and servant of Saint Sabina.
List of Odonata species of Australia Media related to Orthetrum... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tangkoko Nature Reserve | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davao City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 2 | Cebu City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 3 | Manila | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 4 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Green Skimmer sighting in Daintree National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 279th most-seen of the 856 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.
April–May and July
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Green Skimmer in Daintree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Green Skimmer sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Green Skimmer sightings, Daintree National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Tangkoko Nature Reserve (Indonesia, about 20%) and Raja Ampat (Indonesia, about 10%).
Same genus: Orthetrum
The closest relatives of the Green Skimmer that you can see in Daintree National Park (genus Orthetrum) are Fiery Skimmer (about 30%) 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 Green Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Daintree National Park (19 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.
