Diphlebia coerulescens
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Diphlebia coerulescens, known as the sapphire rockmaster, is an Australian species of broad winged damselfly. It is one of a group known as the azure damselflies. It is found in Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales in eastern Australia, where it is found in fast-flowing streams and rivers.
English-born entomologist, Robin Tillyard described the sapphire rockmaster as a subspecies of the tropical rockmaster, Diphlebia euphoeoides in 1913, before reassessing it as a separate species on the basis of the distinct shape of the male anal appendage, as well as differences in size and colour of the adults.
The male sapphire rockmaster has a mostly bright blue and black body with dark wings. It can be distinguished from the tropical rockmaster by the larger size of two prominent blue markings at the base (front end) and underside of terga 4 to 6. Its upperside abdomen of its otherwise black abdomen often has blue markings to the front ends of the terga. The wings are narrower than the tropical rockmaster, but wider than the other members of the genus, and are a smoky brown rather than black. The legs are mostly brownish black, but have some blue on the upper mid and hind femurs. The female sapphire rockmaster is predominantly brown and olive-green, and also has smoky-coloured wings. Its legs are dark brown with light brown upper segments of mid and hind femurs. The upperside of its abdomen is a dark olive-green, with a darker dorsal line prominently running down the midline, which widens into a roughly triangular pattern at the rear end of each segment (tergum). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Sapphire Rockmaster sighting in Lamington National Park on a given day, based on 231 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 430 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Sapphire Rockmaster in Lamington National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–June and August, the lowest months. That is one of Lamington National Park's wettest months, with about 140 mm of rain against 40 mm in August.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sapphire Rockmaster 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 Sapphire Rockmaster sightings, Lamington National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Springbrook National Park (Australia, about 30%).
Same genus: Diphlebia
The closest relatives of the Sapphire Rockmaster that you can see in Lamington National Park (genus Diphlebia, Rockmasters) are Arrowhead Rockmaster (about 40%) and Whitewater Rockmaster (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sapphire Rockmaster is recorded against all the insects logged in Lamington National Park (231 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.
