Lestes tridens
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an African Spotted Spreadwing sighting in Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 519th most-seen of the 748 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February and May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Spotted Spreadwing in Kruger National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–April and June–December, the lowest months. Those are among Kruger National Park's wettest months, with about 75 mm of rain a month against almost none in August.
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.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate African Spotted Spreadwing sightings, Kruger National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 20%), iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 10%) and Garden Route National Park (South Africa, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Spotted Spreadwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Kruger National Park (21 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.
