Eleodes osculans
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Eleodes osculans, the wooly darkling beetle or woolly ground beetle, is a common insect in coastal southern and central California in wooded areas or chaparral, and in Baja California. As a stink beetle of genus Eleodes, its easily observed defensive posture is to raise its hind end and secrete an unpleasant odor. E. osculans has a length of 12–16 mm and is the only known darkling beetle species with reddish-brown hair covering most of its black exoskeleton. It is similar to Eleodes nigropilosa and Eleodes littoralis, which have darker hair. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Woolly Darkling Beetle sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 560 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 51st most-seen of the 851 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.
January to May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Woolly Darkling Beetle in Los Angeles on a given day, against under 5% in June to December, the lowest months. Those are among Los Angeles's wettest months, with about 45 mm of rain a month against almost none in June.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Woolly Darkling Beetle 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.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Woolly Darkling Beetle sightings, Los Angeles has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come San Diego (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Woolly Darkling Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Los Angeles (560 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.
