Lestes tridens
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Lestes tridens is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. It is known commonly as the spotted spreadwing. It is native to much of the southern half of Africa, where it is widespread. It lives along the edges of lakes and swamps. It is not considered to be threatened. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an African Spotted Spreadwing sighting in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 41st most-seen of the 59 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February and April
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an African Spotted Spreadwing in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in March, May–September and November, the lowest months. Those are among uMkhuze Game Reserve's wettest months, with about 85 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in July.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Spotted Spreadwing 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 4 parks where we can rate African Spotted Spreadwing sightings, uMkhuze Game Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 10%) and Garden Route National Park (South Africa, under 5%).
Same order: Odonata
The closest relatives of the African Spotted Spreadwing that you can see in uMkhuze Game Reserve (order Odonata, Dragonflies and Damselflies) are Southern Banded Groundling (about 50%), Broad Scarlet (about 40%) and Lucia Widow (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Spotted Spreadwing is recorded against all the insects logged in uMkhuze Game Reserve (6 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.
