Castnia licus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Telchin licus, the banana stem borer, is a moth of the Castniidae family. It is native to South America, where it is found from Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas, throughout the Amazon basin in Brazil and Peru. It has also been recorded as an introduced species in Hawaii.
The length of the forewings is 64–80 mm. The larvae feed on Saccharum officinarum, Musa, Heliconia and Ichnosiphon species. It is considered a pest species. Young larvae make a small cavity and then tunnel into the heart of the cane of the host plant. They tunnel upwards and downwards, and create a shelter in the rootstock where they rest. Pupation takes place in the rootstock or at the base of the cane. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Castnia licus sighting in Caracas on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 44th most-seen of the 107 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.
October
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Castnia licus in Caracas on a given day, against under 5% in November to July, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Castnia licus sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Castnia licus sightings, Caracas ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Recife (Brazil, about 20%) and Belém (Brazil, about 10%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Castnia licus that you can see in Caracas (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Lycaena cyna (about 30%), Hanno Blue (about 30%) and Tropical Checkered-Skipper (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Castnia licus is recorded against all the insects logged in Caracas (15 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.
