Sericinus montela
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Sericinus is a genus of swallowtail butterflies placed in the subfamily Parnassiinae. The genus has a complex history and a multiplicity of names have been applied to its single species. Sericinus montela, the dragon swallowtail, is the only species, making the genus monotypic. It is found in the Russian Far East (south of Primorsky Krai), Korea, China and Japan.
Form manschuricus van Rosen gen. aest. Form cellopura Form posterior exsubcostalis (!) Eisner, 1974 Form amurensis Staudingers gen. vest. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dragon Swallowtail sighting in Beijing on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 73rd most-seen of the 401 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.
April to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dragon Swallowtail in Beijing on a given day, against under 5% in September to March, the lowest months. Those are among Beijing's wettest months, with about 80 mm of rain a month against almost none in January.
Among the best
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Dragon Swallowtail sightings, Beijing ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Qingdao (China, about 10%).
Same family: Papilionidae
The closest relatives of the Dragon Swallowtail that you can see in Beijing (family Papilionidae, Swallowtails and Parnassians) are Chinese Yellow Swallowtail (about 10%) and Old World Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Dragon Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Beijing (43 verified sightings), 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.
