Spotted-Wing Antlion

Spotted-Wing Antlion

Euroleon nostras

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Budapest

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

8 Verified sightings at Budapest
29 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
🌙 Nocturnal When it's spotted

About the Spotted-Wing Antlion

Euroleon nostras is a species of antlion found over most of Europe. The scientific name can be translated as "our European [ant] lion". Adults resemble dragonflies or damselflies and may reach up to 30 mm (1.2 in) long, with a wingspan of 70 mm (2.8 in). The larvae prey on ants and other small creatures and require dry sandy soil in which to dig their pitfall traps.

The larva of E. nostras has large jaws and a broad abdomen. When fully developed, which may take two years, it pupates under the soil, undergoes metamorphosis, emerging a month later as a much larger winged insect. The adult E. nostras is brown and resembles a dragonfly or damselfly in appearance. It is about 30 mm (1.2 in) long with a wingspan of about 70 mm (2.8 in). The four large translucent wings are spotted with brown.

Euroleon nostras has a widespread distribution in Europe, and has been recorded from almost all European countries, its range extending from Spain through Germany to western Russia. It is also known from Morocco in North Africa, and from Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan in Asia. It is an extremely rare insect in Britain, known only from the Minsmere area of... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

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

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
2 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
3 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
4 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
5 Paris 🇫🇷 France
~10%
6 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
<5%
7 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
<5%
8 Essen 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Spotted-Wing Antlion in Budapest?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spotted-Wing Antlion sighting in Budapest on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 231st most-seen of the 404 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 Spotted-Wing Antlion in Budapest?

August

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Spotted-Wing Antlion in Budapest on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Spotted-Wing Antlion?

Between 9 pm and midnight

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spotted-Wing Antlion sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.

Is Budapest the best place to see a Spotted-Wing Antlion?

Yes

Of the 8 cities where we can rate Spotted-Wing Antlion sightings, Budapest has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Kyiv (Ukraine, about 10%) and Warsaw (Poland, about 10%).

Where does the Spotted-Wing Antlion sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Spotted-Wing Antlion is recorded against all the insects logged in Budapest (8 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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