Erythrodiplax berenice
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Erythrodiplax berenice, commonly known as the seaside dragonlet, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found mainly at coastal marshes, mangrove swamps, and alkaline lakes of eastern North America. It is unique among dragonflies of the western hemisphere in that it can breed in seawater.
The seaside dragonlet is a relatively small, slender-bodied skimmer. Males reach a uniform black at maturity, which is then overlaid with waxy pruinosity. Their eyes are dark red on top with a gradient to light green below. Females have a similar dark red to light green-gray eye color gradient, but their body coloration is much more variable than the males'. The thorax usually has a lemon yellow to orange background with many black stripes, but some have an entirely black thorax. The abdomen is often black (sometimes gold or orange) on the first three segments (S1-S3) and on the final segments (S8-S10). The middle segments (S4-S7) are then often orange above and black below, forming a chainlike pattern of orange. Some common female color patterns include: mostly bright orange on thorax and abdomen; black thorax with bright orange abdomen (aging to a masculine... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Ciénaga de Zapata | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 6 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Seaside Dragonlet sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 379 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 189 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.
September
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Seaside Dragonlet in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in December and January, the lowest months. That is one of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain against 50 mm in March.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Seaside Dragonlet 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 7 parks where we can rate Seaside Dragonlet sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Everglades National Park (United States, about 30%) and Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 30%).
Same genus: Erythrodiplax
The closest relatives of the Seaside Dragonlet that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (genus Erythrodiplax, Dragonlets) are Band-Winged Dragonlet (about 10%) and Little Blue Dragonlet (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Seaside Dragonlet is recorded against all the insects logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (379 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.
