Pholisora mejicanus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Pholisora mejicanus is a species of butterfly of the skipper family, the Hesperiidae. It occurs in the Southwestern United States south throughout most of Mexico. Often it is referred to as the Mexican sootywing. As is typical in the skipper family, Mexican sootywings, Pholisora mejicanus, commonly are seen "skipping" fast from one spot to another. Their rapid, darting flight is right for their stout bodies, which are small to medium-size relative to other butterfly species. Their heads are relatively broad, with widely separated eyes and antennae. Their antennae are distinctively hooked or recurved at their tips. Many skipper species, including the Mexican sootywing, rest with their wings held at different angles, which is unlike moths, who rest with their wings spread flat; also it's unlike most resting butterflies who fold their wings directly above their bodies.
In the field, when seen from above, Mexican sootywings are black skippers with white dots arranged in a specific pattern. Seen from the side, the hindwing's underside is blue-gray with contrasting black veins. To distinguish Mexican sootywings from other Pholisora species, the pattern of dots on the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Sootywing sighting in Mexico City on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 442nd most-seen of the 557 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Sootywing in Mexico City on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Only Mexico City, in our data
Mexico City is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Mexican Sootywing sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mexican Sootywing is recorded against all the insects logged in Mexico City (7 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.
