Aegiale hesperiaris
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Aegiale hesperiaris, commonly known as the tequila giant skipper, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiinae. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Aegiale. Its caterpillar is one of two varieties of edible "maguey worms" that infest maguey and Agave tequilana plants.
The white maguey worm, known as meocuiles, are caterpillars of this species. It usually is found in regions of central Mexico, on the leaves of family Agavaceae plants, such as: Agave tequilana and Agave americana (maguey). They are not found on cacti, as is often erroneously reported. The butterflies deposit their eggs at the heart of the leaves of agaves. The larvae then eat the flesh of the agave stems and roots, sometimes boring out the agave completely. 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 Tequila Giant-Skipper sighting in Mexico City on a given day, based on 31 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 230th 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.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tequila Giant-Skipper in Mexico City on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months. That is one of Mexico City's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain against 150 mm in July.
Only Mexico City, in our data
Mexico City is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Tequila Giant-Skipper sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Tequila Giant-Skipper that you can see in Mexico City (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Dorantes Longtail (about 20%), Pale Sicklewing (about 10%) and Guava Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tequila Giant-Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Mexico City (31 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.
