Lytta vesicatoria
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Lytta vesicatoria, also known as the Spanish fly, is an aposematic emerald-green beetle in the blister beetle family (Meloidae). It is distributed across Eurasia. The species and others in its family were used in traditional apothecary preparations as "Cantharides". The insect is the source of the terpenoid cantharidin, a toxic blistering agent once used as an exfoliating agent, anti-rheumatic drug and an aphrodisiac. The substance has also found culinary use in some blends of the North African spice mix ras el hanout. Its various supposed benefits have been responsible for accidental poisonings.
The generic name is from the Greek λύττα (lytta), meaning martial rage, raging madness, Bacchic frenzy, or rabies. The specific name is derived from Latin vesica, bladder. Lytta vesicatoria was formerly named Cantharis vesicatoria, although the genus Cantharis is in an unrelated family, Cantharidae, the soldier beetles. It was classified there erroneously until the Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius corrected its name in his Systema entomologiae in 1775. He reclassified the Spanish fly as the type species of the new genus Lytta, in the family Meloidae.
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 2 | Almaty | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | |
| 3 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 4 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spanish Fly sighting in Kyiv on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 295th most-seen of the 753 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spanish Fly in Kyiv on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spanish Fly sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Spanish Fly sightings, Kyiv has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Almaty (Kazakhstan, about 10%) and Novosibirsk (Russia, under 5%).
Same order: Coleoptera
The closest relatives of the Spanish Fly that you can see in Kyiv (order Coleoptera, Beetles) are Asian Lady Beetle (about 50%), European Stag Beetle (about 40%) and Lesser Stag Beetle (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spanish Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Kyiv (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.
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