Parides photinus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Parides photinus, the pink-spotted cattleheart, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It was first described by Edward Doubleday in 1844. Parides photinus has a wingspan reaching 90–100 millimetres (3.5–3.9 in). Adults are black with the hindwing having a blue-green metallic sheen, especially in the male. There are no wing bands. Two rows of red spots are found along the hindwing margin. The submarginal spots are strongly arched except for the upper two or three and the anal one; the latter is distinct on the upperside only in the female. The hindwings have short tails. The undersides are similar to the upsides. The larvae feed on Aristolochia grandiflora and A. asclepiadifolia.
A full description is provided by Rothschild, W. and Jordan, K. (1906) This species can be found from Mexico to Costa Rica, in Nicaragua and in Honduras. It lives in forests, where it is common to abundant. Its range extends from the sea level to 5000 feet (1500 metres).
Parides photinus is a member of the ascanius species group ("Fringe-spots white. Hindwing with submarginal spots and unusually also discal spots or... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | |
| 4 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pink-Spotted Cattleheart sighting in Monterrey on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 193rd most-seen of the 413 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July–August and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pink-Spotted Cattleheart in Monterrey on a given day, against under 5% in January–June and September–October, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pink-Spotted Cattleheart sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Pink-Spotted Cattleheart sightings, Monterrey ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Guatemala City (Guatemala, about 10%), Toluca (México, about 10%) and San Salvador (El Salvador, about 10%).
Same family: Papilionidae
The closest relatives of the Pink-Spotted Cattleheart that you can see in Monterrey (family Papilionidae, Swallowtails and Parnassians) are Western Giant Swallowtail (about 20%), Pipevine Swallowtail (about 20%) and Ruby-Spotted Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pink-Spotted Cattleheart is recorded against all the insects logged in Monterrey (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.
