Elattoneura glauca
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Elattoneura glauca is a species of damselfly in the family Platycnemididae. It is known also as the common threadtail, the grey threadtail or gewone draadstertjie. It is native to the southern half of the African continent, where it is widespread. It lives in shady areas along rivers and streams.
This is a smallish damselfly (wingspan of 40 mm (1.6 in)) which exhibits strong sexual dimorphism. Males have a pale blue thorax with a black lateral stripe. The long, slender abdomen is black, with a while underside, and a pale blue tip. There is a white ring at each joint. The eyes are turquoise.
Females and immature individuals are tan, with a narrow whitish band at each segment. Females have a whitish thorax with thick brown stripes. The eyes are pale and striped with brown bands. They are also larger than the males, with a more robust build. The mottled abdomen is less elongate. Females may easily be confused with Elattoneura frenulata in areas of range overlap.
This species is widely distributed across the southern part of the African continent. It is locally common and may occur in large numbers in suitable habitat. It can be found amongst bushes... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Threadtail sighting in Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 98 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 103rd most-seen of the 748 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.
November to May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Threadtail in Kruger National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to October, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Threadtail 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 Common Threadtail sightings, Kruger National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Garden Route National Park (South Africa, under 5%).
Same order: Odonata
The closest relatives of the Common Threadtail that you can see in Kruger National Park (order Odonata, Dragonflies and Damselflies) are Southern Banded Groundling (about 20%), Violet Dropwing (about 20%) and Orange-Winged Dropwing (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Threadtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Kruger National Park (98 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.
