Castnia licus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Telchin licus, the banana stem borer, is a moth of the Castniidae family. It is native to South America, where it is found from Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas, throughout the Amazon basin in Brazil and Peru. It has also been recorded as an introduced species in Hawaii.
The length of the forewings is 64–80 mm. The larvae feed on Saccharum officinarum, Musa, Heliconia and Ichnosiphon species. It is considered a pest species. Young larvae make a small cavity and then tunnel into the heart of the cane of the host plant. They tunnel upwards and downwards, and create a shelter in the rootstock where they rest. Pupation takes place in the rootstock or at the base of the cane. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Castnia licus sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 256th most-seen of the 302 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and June
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Castnia licus in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to April, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Castnia licus sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Castnia licus sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Manu National Park (Peru, about 10%) and Tambopata National Reserve (Peru, about 10%).
Same family: Castniidae
The closest relatives of the Castnia licus that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (family Castniidae) are Screwworm (about 10%) and Amauta procera (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Castnia licus is recorded against all the insects logged in Arenal Volcano 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.
