Austroaeschna subapicalis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Austroaeschna subapicalis is a species of large dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae, known commonly as the conehead darner. It inhabits mountain streams in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia. Austroaeschna subapicalis is a very dark dragonfly with indistinct pale markings.
It appears similar to the mountain darner, Austroaeschna atrata, which is found in alpine areas of southern New South Wales and Victoria. The genus name Austroaeschna combines the prefix austro- (from Latin auster, meaning “south wind”, hence “southern”) with Aeshna, a genus of dragonflies.
The species name subapicalis is derived from the Latin sub ("under" or "beneath") and apicalis ("at the tip"), referring to teeth located well short of the end of the male appendage. List of dragonflies of Australia Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Conehead Darner sighting in Great Otway National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 369th most-seen of the 418 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January to March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Conehead Darner in Great Otway National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to December, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Conehead Darner sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all 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 Conehead Darner sightings, Great Otway National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Grampians National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Blue Mountains National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same genus: Austroaeschna
The closest relatives of the Conehead Darner that you can see in Great Otway National Park (genus Austroaeschna) are Multi-Spotted Darner (about 10%) and Forest Darner (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Conehead Darner is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Otway National Park (5 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.
