Allocnemis leucosticta
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~80%
Allocnemis leucosticta, the goldtail or goudstertjie, is a species of damselfly in the family Platycnemididae. It is endemic to South Africa and Eswatini, where it lives near streams and rivers in wooded areas. This is a highly distinctive medium-sized (50 mm (2.0 in) wingspan) damselfly, easily told apart from other species in the region. It has a blue face which extends down below the eyes. The dark abdomen is long and slender with narrow white bands at each segment. The wings are a smoky yellow-brown with diagnostic white Pterostigmata, forming a wide wing spot near the tip. The white pterostigmata and yellowish wings are conspicuous in flight, making them easy to identify. Males and females look remarkably similar, with only the tip of the thorax differing. In males this is gold, while in females this may be gold, pale blue or white.
Goldtails are mainly found in the mid to high altitude escarpment areas of South Africa and Eswatini. It is also, however, found at sea level in some places in KwaZulu-Natal and the Southern Cape. Its range extends from Table Mountain in the Western Cape to the Soutpansberg in Limpopo. It is common but... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Goldtail sighting in Garden Route National Park on a given day, based on 138 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 14th most-seen of the 298 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December and January
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Goldtail in Garden Route National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to October, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Goldtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Goldtail sightings, Garden Route National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Golden Gate Highlands National Park (South Africa, about 20%).
Same family: Platycnemididae
The closest relatives of the Goldtail that you can see in Garden Route National Park (family Platycnemididae, White-legged damselflies) are Sooty Threadtail (about 10%) and Ceres Streamjack (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Goldtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Garden Route National Park (138 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.
