Lestes tridens
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Lestes tridens is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. It is known commonly as the spotted spreadwing. It is native to much of the southern half of Africa, where it is widespread. It lives along the edges of lakes and swamps. It is not considered to be threatened. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Spotted Spreadwing sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 203rd most-seen of the 316 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.
February–March, July, September and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Spotted Spreadwing in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, April–June, August and October, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Spotted Spreadwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate African Spotted Spreadwing sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 20%).
Same order: Odonata
The closest relatives of the African Spotted Spreadwing that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (order Odonata, Dragonflies and Damselflies) are Lucia Widow (about 30%), Common Citril (about 30%) and Violet Dropwing (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Spotted Spreadwing is recorded against all the insects logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (8 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.
