Pterostichus madidus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Pterostichus madidus, commonly known as the black clock beetle, is a species of ground beetle native to Europe. The black clock beetle typically grows between 14–20mm in length, and is black in colouration, with legs that are usually red, reddish brown, or black. It can be found most abundantly in summer, and breeds during the autumn. It is commonly found in gardens, grasslands, and dry woodland, under stones, in grass, or in loose bark.
In the United Kingdom, this beetle is commonly known as the rain beetle as they tend to appear when rain is imminent. There is an old superstition that should you step on one or kill one, it will cause it to rain. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 6 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Clock sighting in Birmingham on a given day, based on 57 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 169th most-seen of the 811 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.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black Clock in Birmingham on a given day, against under 5% in November to February, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Clock sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Black Clock sightings, Birmingham has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Manchester (United Kingdom, about 10%) and London (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Carabidae
The closest relatives of the Black Clock that you can see in Birmingham (family Carabidae, Ground Beetles) are Violet Ground Beetle (about 10%) and Abax parallelepipedus (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Clock is recorded against all the insects logged in Birmingham (57 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.
