Crocothemis sanguinolenta
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Crocothemis sanguinolenta is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in Africa south of the Sahara (including Madagascar), in the Levant, and in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. It is found in or near fresh water in a wide variety of habitats, from semi-arid bush to tropical forest.
Common names for this species include little scarlet, slim scarlet-darter and small scarlet. Over most of its range, Crocothemis sanguinolenta is easily confused with Crocothemis erythraea, but C. sanguinolenta has a narrower abdomen (3 mm or less wide), the lateral carinae of S3 to S7 are usually marked with black dashes, and the pterostigmata are short and usually the same colour as the abdomen (red in mature males). The abdomen of Crocothemis erythraea is 3.5 mm or more wide, the lateral carinae of S3 to S7 are generally unmarked, and the pterostigmata are longer and less brightly coloured than the abdomen.
Little scarlet Species text in the Online Atlas of South African Odonata Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Little Scarlet sighting in Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 24 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.
February
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Little Scarlet in Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, against about 10% in January, March–May, July and September, the lowest months. That is one of Waterberg Plateau Park's wettest months, with about 80 mm of rain against almost none in May.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Little Scarlet 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 5 parks where we can rate Little Scarlet sightings, Waterberg Plateau Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 10%) and Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Libellulidae
The closest relatives of the Little Scarlet that you can see in Waterberg Plateau Park (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Julia Skimmer (about 40%) and Orange-Winged Dropwing (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Little Scarlet is recorded against all the insects logged in Waterberg Plateau Park (9 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.
