Eleodes gigantea
In 3 days ~10%
Eleodes gigantea is a species of desert stink beetle or darkling beetle in the family Tenebrionidae. They can be found from San Francisco, California down to Tijuana, Mexico, however, they are more typically located in the lower half of California from Santa Cruz to San Diego.
They typically have a smooth black elytron and like other species of Eleodes, when frightened they secrete benzoquinone and upturn their bodies to spray it. The secretion is orange in color and has a strong odor that causes the eyes to water.
Eleodes gigantea meridionalis have been found in the La Brea Tar Pits and some of the earliest reports of the species date back to 1918. They are most active during sundown. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eleodes gigantea sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 568th most-seen of the 851 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eleodes gigantea in Los Angeles on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Only Los Angeles, in our data
Los Angeles is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Eleodes gigantea sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eleodes gigantea is recorded against all the insects logged in Los Angeles (28 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.
