Dark Sailor Beetle

Dark Sailor Beetle

Cantharis fusca

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Brussels

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

17 Verified sightings at Brussels
91 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Dark Sailor Beetle

Cantharis fusca, the dark soldier beetle, is a species of soldier beetle. Cantharis fusca reaches a length of 10–15 millimetres (0.39–0.59 in). Except for parts of the head and thorax, which are red or orange, this species is completely black. The body is flat and long, with weak exoskeleton. These beetles have long feathery antennae, and comparatively long legs.

This species is common in large parts of Europe, and lives in bushes, edges of forests, and meadows. They hunt for small insects. The larvae have black hairs, and also eat small insects. They are very cold-resistant, and can be seen crawling on the snow in winter. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
2 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
3 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Copenhagen 🇩🇰 Denmark
~10%
2 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
3 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
~10%
4 Amsterdam 🇳🇱 Netherlands
~10%
5 Munich 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
6 Essen 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
7 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
~10%
8 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
9 Stockholm 🇸🇪 Sweden
~10%
10 Minsk 🇧🇾 Belarus
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Dark Sailor Beetle in Brussels?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dark Sailor Beetle sighting in Brussels on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 125th most-seen of the 337 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.

When is the best time to see a Dark Sailor Beetle in Brussels?

May

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Dark Sailor Beetle in Brussels on a given day, against under 5% in July to April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Dark Sailor Beetle?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dark Sailor 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.

Is Brussels the best place to see a Dark Sailor Beetle?

Among the best

Of the 24 cities where we can rate Dark Sailor Beetle sightings, Brussels ranks 15th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Copenhagen (Denmark, about 10%), Kyiv (Ukraine, about 10%) and Helsinki (Finland, about 10%).

Where does the Dark Sailor Beetle sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Dark Sailor Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Brussels (17 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.

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