Mestra amymone
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Mestra is a genus of nymphalid butterfly. It contains the single species Mestra dorcas, the Jamaican mestra, which is found from southern North America to South America and possibly Mestra cana, the St Lucia mestra, found in the Lesser Antilles (though this may be a misidentification).
The wingspan is 35–50 mm. Adults are on wing year round in southern Texas, but it is most numerous from June to November. They have been recorded feeding on the nectar of Lantana flowers. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Mestra sighting in San Antonio on a given day, based on 161 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 68th most-seen of the 697 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July–August and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Mestra in San Antonio on a given day, against under 5% in February to May, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Mestra sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Common Mestra sightings, San Antonio ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in San Pedro Sula (Honduras, about 10%) and Monterrey (México, about 10%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Common Mestra that you can see in San Antonio (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Gulf Fritillary (about 40%), Monarch (about 30%) and Queen (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Mestra is recorded against all the insects logged in San Antonio (161 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.
