Ornate Checkered Beetle

Ornate Checkered Beetle

Trichodes ornatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at San Francisco

In 3 days ~10%

5 Verified sightings at San Francisco
669 In all 14 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Ornate Checkered Beetle

Trichodes ornatus, commonly known as ornate checkered beetle, is a beetle species of checkered beetles belonging to the family Cleridae, subfamily Clerinae which can be found only in North America. Larvae live in bee nests of mostly Megachilidae family species and are parasitic. While in the nest they feed on the bees' larvae or pollen. When they mature into an adult they begin feeding on yarrow, milkweed, and other plants of yellow colouration. The species males are 5–11 millimetres (0.20–0.43 in) long while females are 7–15 millimetres (0.28–0.59 in).

Media related to Trichodes ornatus at Wikimedia Commons Trichodes ornatus images Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
2 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
5 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
6 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
11 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
12 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
13 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
14 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Phoenix 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Mesa 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Ornate Checkered Beetle in San Francisco?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Ornate Checkered Beetle sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 679th most-seen of the 737 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Ornate Checkered Beetle in San Francisco?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Ornate Checkered Beetle in San Francisco on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see an Ornate Checkered Beetle?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ornate Checkered 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.

Is San Francisco the best place to see an Ornate Checkered Beetle?

4th of 4

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Ornate Checkered Beetle sightings, San Francisco ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Phoenix (United States, about 10%), Mesa (United States, under 5%) and Los Angeles (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Ornate Checkered Beetle sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Ornate Checkered Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (5 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.

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