Xylophanes tersa
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Xylophanes tersa, the tersa sphinx, is a species of moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1771. It is found from the United States (Massachusetts south to southern Florida, west to Nebraska, New Mexico and southern Arizona), through Mexico, the West Indies and Central America and into parts of South America (including Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil). An occasional stray can be found as far north as Canada.
The larvae feed on Borreria, Catalpa, Manettia, and Pentas species, and Spermacoce glabra, Hamelia patens, Hedyotis nigricans, Heimia salicifolia, Psychotria microdon, Psychotria nervosa, and Inga vera. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaragua National Park | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 2 | Main Ridge Forest Reserve | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 3 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 8 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | João Pessoa | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Manaus | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Rio de Janeiro | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tersa Sphinx sighting in Braulio Carrillo National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 232nd most-seen of the 378 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, March–June and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tersa Sphinx in Braulio Carrillo National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, July–August and October–December, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tersa Sphinx sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
5th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Tersa Sphinx sightings, Braulio Carrillo National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Jaragua National Park (Dominican Republic, about 30%), Main Ridge Forest Reserve (Trinidad and Tobago, about 10%) and Everglades National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Xylophanes
The closest relatives of the Tersa Sphinx that you can see in Braulio Carrillo National Park (genus Xylophanes) are Xylophanes zurcheri (about 30%), Xylophanes belti (about 10%) and Leafy Sphinx (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tersa Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Braulio Carrillo National Park (8 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.
