Brachydiplax denticauda
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Brachydiplax denticauda is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae known commonly as the palemouth. It is native to Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. It lives in habitat with still and slow-moving waters.
Males of this species are typical in colour for the genus, being bright powder blue on both the thorax and abdomen. The labrum is pale cream, thus giving the species its common name of palemouth. In northern Australia, it is found coastal and adjacent inland in an arc from the southern Queensland border to Broome, Western Australia.
This species is small in size with a wingspan of 40 to 60 millimeters. Brachydiplax denticauda usually has six antenodal crossveins in the fore-wing and five in the hind-wing whereas the very similar Brachydiplax duivenbodei has seven antenodal crossveins in the fore-wing and six in the hind-wing. Though brightly coloured, the males often go unnoticed by an observer once they land on a lily pad or similar place.
The genus name Brachydiplax is derived from the Greek βραχύς (brakhys, "short"), combined with Diplax, a genus name derived from the Greek δίς (dis, "twice") and πλάξ... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Palemouth sighting in Litchfield National Park on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 43 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Palemouth in Litchfield National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and December, the lowest months. That is one of Litchfield National Park's wettest months, with about 340 mm of rain against almost none in July.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Palemouth sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Palemouth sightings, Litchfield National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Kakadu National Park (Australia, about 20%).
Same family: Libellulidae
The closest relatives of the Palemouth that you can see in Litchfield National Park (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Painted Grasshawk (about 70%), Pygmy Percher (about 40%) and Chalky Percher (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Palemouth is recorded against all the insects logged in Litchfield National Park (37 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.
