Red-Veined Dropwing

Red-Veined Dropwing

Trithemis arteriosa

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at uMkhuze Game Reserve

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

21 Verified sightings at uMkhuze Game Reserve From 2019 to 2026
714 In all 11 parks
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Red-Veined Dropwing

Trithemis arteriosa, the red-veined dropwing, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Trithemis arteriosa is widespread and common in most of its range which includes most of Africa and extends to western Asia and southern Europe. In Africa, it is found in Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mayotte, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In western Asia and southern Europe, it is found in Crete, Cyprus, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestinian Territory, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

This dragonfly is found in and near a wide variety of slow-flowing and still-water habitats. These include streams... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~30%
2 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
3 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~30%
4 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
5 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
6 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
7 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
8 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
9 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
10 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
11 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Riyadh 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
~40%
2 Lusaka 🇿🇲 Zambia
~30%
3 Marrakesh 🇲🇦 Morocco
~20%
4 Kigali 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~20%
5 Durban 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
6 Cape Town 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
7 Pretoria 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
8 Tel Aviv 🇮🇱 Israel
~10%
9 Nairobi 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
10 Johannesburg 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Red-Veined Dropwing in uMkhuze Game Reserve?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Veined Dropwing sighting in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 59 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Red-Veined Dropwing in uMkhuze Game Reserve?

April and May

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Veined Dropwing in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in March, June–September and November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Red-Veined Dropwing?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-Veined Dropwing sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is uMkhuze Game Reserve the best place to see a Red-Veined Dropwing?

Among the best

Of the 11 parks where we can rate Red-Veined Dropwing sightings, uMkhuze Game Reserve ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kafue National Park (Zambia, about 30%).

Which relatives of the Red-Veined Dropwing live in uMkhuze Game Reserve?

Same genus: Trithemis

The closest relatives of the Red-Veined Dropwing that you can see in uMkhuze Game Reserve (genus Trithemis, Dropwings) are Violet Dropwing (about 30%) and Orange-Winged Dropwing (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Red-Veined Dropwing sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Red-Veined Dropwing is recorded against all the insects logged in uMkhuze Game Reserve (21 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.

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