Euptoieta hegesia
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Euptoieta hegesia, the Mexican fritillary, is a North and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. The upperside of the wings is bright orange with the basal part of the hindwing unmarked. There is a row of submarginal black spots on both the forewing and the hindwing. The underside of the wings is yellow orange with no submarginal black spots. It has a wingspan of 2.5 to 3 inches.
The only similar species in the Mexican fritillary's range is the variegated fritillary (Euptoieta claudia). The variegated fritillary has black median lines on the upperside of the hindwing, and on the underside of the hindwing it has a pale postmedian band.
The Mexican fritillary may be seen from mid-June to November in Arizona, from July to December in Texas and year-round in Mexico. This species may be encountered in a wide range of open habitats and gardens. The larva is shiny red, with middorsal silver spots edged with black. It has a subdorsal row of white spots ringed with black, a spiracular silver line with black edges, and six rows of black spines. The red head has two long black spines with clubbed ends... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Jaragua National Park | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 3 | Ostional Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 9 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Las Baulas Marine National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 13 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 14 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Fritillary sighting in Cabo Pulmo National Park on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 22 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.
November
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Fritillary in Cabo Pulmo National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and May, the lowest months. That is one of Cabo Pulmo National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 120 mm in September.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mexican Fritillary sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Mexican Fritillary sightings, Cabo Pulmo National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Jaragua National Park (Dominican Republic, about 30%) and Ostional Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Mexican Fritillary that you can see in Cabo Pulmo National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Texan Crescent (about 30%), Gulf Fritillary (about 30%) and Queen (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mexican Fritillary is recorded against all the insects logged in Cabo Pulmo National Park (34 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.
