Anthrenus verbasci
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The varied carpet beetle (Anthrenus verbasci) is a 3 mm-long beetle belonging to the family Dermestidae, positioned in subgenus Nathrenus. They are a common species, often considered a pest of domestic houses and, particularly, natural history museums, where the larvae may damage natural fibers and can damage carpets, furniture, clothing, and insect collections. A. verbasci was also the first insect to be shown to have an annual behavioral rhythm and remains a classic example of circannual cycles in animals.
Adult A. verbasci range in length from 1.7 to 3.5 mm (0.07 to 0.14 in). The body is rounded, almost spherical. The elytra and pronotum are covered in fine scales of different colours, creating an irregular pattern of white, brownish and yellowish patches on these features. The white scales are focussed along the lateral margins of the pronotum and on the elytra, where they form three bright, wavy transverse bands. In addition to these morphological features, their antennae are 11-segmented, with a club of 3 segments.
This species is present in most of Europe, in the eastern Palearctic realm, in the Near East, in the Nearctic realm... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Varied Carpet Beetle sighting in Brisbane on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 721st most-seen of the 1083 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Varied Carpet Beetle in Brisbane on a given day, against under 5% in October to July, the lowest months. Those are among Brisbane's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain a month against 160 mm in February.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Varied Carpet Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
74th of 74
Of the 74 cities where we can rate Varied Carpet Beetle sightings, Brisbane ranks 74th at under 5%. The best odds are in Jerusalem (Israel, about 20%), Mendoza (Argentina, about 10%) and Lyon (France, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Varied Carpet Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Brisbane (10 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.
