Dryadula phaetusa
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Dryadula is a monotypic genus of the butterfly family Nymphalidae. Its single species, Dryadula phaetusa, known as the banded orange heliconian, banded orange, or orange tiger, is native from Brazil to central Mexico, and in summer can be found rarely as far north as central Florida. Its wingspan ranges from 86 to 89 mm, and it is colored a bright orange with thick black stripes in males and a duller orange with fuzzier black stripes in females.
It feeds primarily on the nectar of flowers and on bird droppings; its caterpillar feeds on passion vines including Passiflora tetrastylis. It is generally found in lowland tropical fields and valleys. This species is unpalatable to birds and belongs to the "orange" Müllerian mimicry complex.
Prior to their mating season, males of this species congregate by the hundreds on patches of moist soil that contain mineral salts, a behavior known as mud-puddling. When they cannot find such deposits, the insects visit various animals to drink salty secretions from their skin and nostrils.
Nat. 10 ed., 1: 478). The... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Orange Heliconian sighting in Porto Alegre on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 196th most-seen of the 226 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Orange Heliconian in Porto Alegre on a given day, against under 5% in February–April, June–October and December, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Banded Orange Heliconian sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Banded Orange Heliconian sightings, Porto Alegre ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in São Luís (Brazil, about 10%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Banded Orange Heliconian that you can see in Porto Alegre (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Themisto Amberwing (about 40%), Julia Heliconian (about 30%) and Ruddy Daggerwing (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Banded Orange Heliconian is recorded against all the insects logged in Porto Alegre (6 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.
