Phocides polybius
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Phocides polybius, the bloody spot or guava skipper, is a species of butterfly in the skipper family, Hesperiidae, that is native to the Americas. It is found from the lower Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas in the United States south through Mexico and Central America to Argentina. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793.
The wingspan is 42–63 mm (1.7–2.5 in). There are several generations with adults on wing in February, April, and June to December in southern Texas. The larvae feed on Psidium species, including Psidium guajava and Psidium cattleianum. Adults probably feed on flower nectar. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 3 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Maceió | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Guava Skipper sighting in São Paulo on a given day, based on 47 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 151st most-seen of the 832 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.
February, August–September and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Guava Skipper in São Paulo on a given day, against under 5% in January, March–July and October, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Guava Skipper 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 5 cities where we can rate Southern Guava Skipper sightings, São Paulo ranks 5th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Porto Alegre (Brazil, about 10%), Montevideo (Uruguay, about 10%) and Buenos Aires (Argentina, about 10%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Guava Skipper that you can see in São Paulo (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Glassy-Winged Skipper (about 20%), Tropical Checkered-Skipper (about 10%) and Pompeius Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Guava Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in São Paulo (47 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.
