Austrophlebia costalis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Austrophlebia costalis, the southern giant darner, is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae endemic to eastern Australia. Austrophlebia costalis is an enormous dark dragonfly with strong yellow markings on its body and a brown band along the leading edge of its wings.
It inhabits streams and may be found on logs in shady areas. This species is believed to be one of the fastest flying odonates, with an old reference claiming to have clocked one at nearly 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) but no modern confirmation.
The genus name Austrophlebia combines austro- (Latin auster, “southern”) with -phlebia, from Greek φλέψ (phleps, “vein”), reflecting its relationship to Telephlebia and Austroaeschna. The species name costalis is derived from the Latin costa ("rib") and the suffix -alis ("pertaining to"), referring to the distinctive russet-brown colouring alongside the costa, the leading longitudinal vein of the wing.
List of Odonata species of Australia Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Giant Darner sighting in Springbrook National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 358th most-seen of the 429 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Giant Darner in Springbrook National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Giant Darner sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Southern Giant Darner sightings, Springbrook National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Lamington National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Aeshnidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Giant Darner that you can see in Springbrook National Park (family Aeshnidae, Darners) are Southern Cascade Darner (about 20%), Northern Riffle Darner (about 20%) and Northern Evening Darner (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Giant Darner is recorded against all the insects logged in Springbrook National Park (5 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.
