Anthanassa texana
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Anthanassa texana, the Texan crescentspot, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found from Guatemala north through Mexico to southern California, east across the southern United States to northern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Strays may be found up to Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, South Dakota, and central Nevada. The habitat consists of deserts, dry gulches, open areas, streamsides, road edges, and city parks.
The wingspan is 32–48 mm. Adults are on wing from March to November in southern Florida and Arizona. They are on wing year round in southern Texas and the tropics. There are several generations per year. Adults feed on flower nectar.
The larvae feed on the leaves of various low-growing plants of the family Acanthaceae, including Diciliptera brachiata, Jacobinia carnea, Beloperone, Siphonoglossa, and Ruellia species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Texan Crescent sighting in Houston on a given day, based on 188 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 89th most-seen of the 1057 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.
April–August and October–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Texan Crescent in Houston on a given day, against under 5% in February–March and September, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Texan Crescent sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 12
Of the 12 cities where we can rate Texan Crescent sightings, Houston ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Puebla (México, about 20%), Mexico City (México, about 20%) and San Luis Potosí (México, about 10%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Texan Crescent that you can see in Houston (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Gulf Fritillary (about 30%), Monarch (about 30%) and Common Buckeye (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Texan Crescent is recorded against all the insects logged in Houston (188 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.
