Elattoneura frenulata
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Elattoneura frenulata is a species of damselfly in the family Platycnemididae known commonly as the sooty threadtail or Roetswartdraadstertjie. It is endemic to South Africa. It is a localised endemic of montane areas of the Western Cape, marginally expanding into the western parts of the Eastern Cape. Though it has a restricted distribution, it is locally common. It lives near slow-moving rivers with abundant vegetation.
This is a small damselfly (length: 35 mm (1.4 in), wingspan up to 46 mm (1.8 in)). The black eyes are far apart and it lacks postocular spots. In males, the thorax and abdomen re a sooty black above and blue or grey-white below. The terminal segments are blue-grey. Females have a brown abdomen and thorax and may be confused with Elattoneura glauca when young.
The sooty threadtail occurs primarily in the Western Cape of South Africa, although its range does extend slightly into the Eastern Cape. It is a localised endemic of montane areas, most frequently encountered in areas where a stream narrows between bushes over a small stream where it breeds. It prefers rivers with pools and slow moving sections and is often found... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sooty Threadtail sighting in Garden Route National Park on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 93rd most-seen of the 298 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Sooty Threadtail in Garden Route National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to October, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sooty Threadtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Garden Route National Park, in our data
Garden Route National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Sooty Threadtail sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sooty Threadtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Garden Route National Park (37 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.
