Screwworm

Screwworm

Castniomera atymnius

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Arenal Volcano National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

22 Verified sightings at Arenal Volcano National Park From 2019 to 2026
145 In all 12 parks
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Screwworm

Castniomera is a monotypic genus of moths in the family Castniidae described by Constant Vincent Houlbert in 1918. Its single species, Castniomera atymnius, commonly known as the giant butterfly-moth, was first described by Johan Wilhelm Dalman in 1824. It is known from Mexico through Central America to Venezuela.

The larvae feed on Musaceae species. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
2 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
3 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
~20%
4 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
5 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
6 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
7 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
9 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
10 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
11 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
12 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San Salvador 🇸🇻 El Salvador
~10%
2 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
3 Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Screwworm in Arenal Volcano National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Screwworm sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 52nd most-seen of the 302 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Screwworm in Arenal Volcano National Park?

April–May and July–August

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Screwworm in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September–October and December–January, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Screwworm?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Screwworm sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where does the Screwworm sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Screwworm is recorded against all the insects logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (22 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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