Epicauta hirticornis
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Epicauta hirticornis is a beetle species from the family of oil beetles (Meloidae). The species was first scientifically described in 1880 by Haag-Rutenberg. Epicauta hirticornis beetles have slender bodies with black elytra, red heads, and black-and-white striped abdomens. Their heads are distinctly separated from the prothorax, and the tip of their abdomens are visible beyond the tip of their elytra. They are gregarious and typically found in groups.
Before mating, pairs of Epicauta hirticornis display unique courtship behavior. When the male mounts a female, he will entwine either his left or right antenna with the female's own, forming a double-helix shape. Once entwined, the antennae then vibrate, typically for between 30-60 seconds. Females occasionally avoid mating by pressing their antennae against the surfaces of their host plant or by otherwise hiding their antennae.
Gravid females lay their elongated yellow eggs in clusters of 100–200 in holes they make in the soil. Once the larvae hatch, they burrow through the soil until they find a grasshopper egg mass to feed upon. Over the next 3-4 weeks, the larvae will molt four times... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Epicauta hirticornis sighting in Taipei on a given day, based on 269 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 37th most-seen of the 765 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Epicauta hirticornis in Taipei on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months. That is one of Taipei's wettest months, with about 230 mm of rain against 90 mm in February.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Epicauta hirticornis sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Taipei, in our data
Taipei is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Epicauta hirticornis sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Epicauta hirticornis is recorded against all the insects logged in Taipei (269 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.
