Tegrodera aloga
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Tegrodera aloga, the iron cross blister beetle, is a species of blister beetle in the family Meloidae. It is found in Arizona, California, and Sonora. The common name refers to the black cross on the wing covers. The scientific name T. aloga was coined by Skinner in 1903.
Tegrodera aloga is generally about 2 cm long; it has a long, narrow and cylindrical body and a wide head. The beetle is easily recognizable due to its contrasting yellow and red spots found on its black body. The brightness of the spots warns of the cantharidin toxins the beetle carries; this coloration is known as aposematism, and it works as a warning signal to protect itself from predators. It is more common to find these beetles in larger groups rather than individually.
In Tegrodera aloga, the males fight among themselves for the ability to mate with a female. Mating takes place actively, with the male on the female's back. Together they climb among flowers and leaves. The adults feed on spring blossoms of Nama hispida and Eriastrum, alfalfa, and other desert plants. They will drink nectar as well. The hosts of the parasitic larvae are unknown, but assumed to be ground-nesting... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Iron Cross Blister Beetle sighting in Phoenix on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 123rd most-seen of the 264 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.
April and May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Iron Cross Blister Beetle in Phoenix on a given day, against under 5% in June to March, the lowest months. Those are among Phoenix's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain a month against 35 mm in January.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Iron Cross Blister Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Iron Cross Blister Beetle sightings, Phoenix ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Mesa (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Iron Cross Blister Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Phoenix (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.
