Eleodes osculans
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Eleodes osculans, the wooly darkling beetle or woolly ground beetle, is a common insect in coastal southern and central California in wooded areas or chaparral, and in Baja California. As a stink beetle of genus Eleodes, its easily observed defensive posture is to raise its hind end and secrete an unpleasant odor. E. osculans has a length of 12–16 mm and is the only known darkling beetle species with reddish-brown hair covering most of its black exoskeleton. It is similar to Eleodes nigropilosa and Eleodes littoralis, which have darker hair. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Woolly Darkling Beetle sighting in San Diego on a given day, based on 112 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 92nd most-seen of the 693 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.
March–May and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Woolly Darkling Beetle in San Diego on a given day, against under 5% in June–October and December–February, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Woolly Darkling Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Woolly Darkling Beetle sightings, San Diego ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Los Angeles (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Woolly Darkling Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in San Diego (112 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.
