Lestes virgatus
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
Lestes virgatus is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. It is known commonly as the smoky spreadwing. It is native to much of southeastern Africa, where it is widespread. It lives in pools and swamps in forest and woodland habitat.
Lestes virgatus is a damselfly classified in the family Lestidae, known as the spreadwings. The species was first scientifically described by German biologist Hermann Burmeister in 1839 under the name Agrion virgatum. The type specimen was from Durban. Burmeister included a brief physical account of the species, describing a damselfly about 43 mm (1.7 in) long characterized by four bronzey stripes on its pronotum, an abdomen with a coppery-black back. An 1862 publication by odonatologist Edmond de Sélys Longchamps classified the species into the genus Lestes, calling it Lestes virgata; subsequent writers starting with William F. Kirby in 1890 have corrected the gender to Lestes virgatus. The specific epithet is the nominative case of the Latin adjective virgatus, meaning "long and slender" (as a twig or rod, virga) or banded, striped. Despite being sometimes known as the "virginal spreadwing", the species epithet... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Smoky Spreadwing sighting in Garden Route National Park on a given day, based on 118 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 30th 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 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–April and June
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Smoky Spreadwing in Garden Route National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July, the lowest month.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Smoky Spreadwing sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Smoky Spreadwing sightings, Garden Route National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Addo Elephant National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Smoky Spreadwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Garden Route National Park (118 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.
