Carabus insulicola
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Carabus insulicola is a species of black-colored beetle from the family Carabidae native to Japan. They are also known as ground beetles, and are oval shaped and elongated. They are black with a green metallic hue and vertical stripes running down their backs. The length of a fully grown beetle ranges from 27 to 31 mm. They have three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings. The outer wings are greatly degenerated, making them unable to fly. However, their relatively long legs allow them to walk and run fast. They have prominent mandibles that allow them to capture and eat prey.
This ground beetle species is most active during the summer, which is when their mating season occurs. Both females and males can mate with multiple partners during one mating season. This creates a unique situation for sperm competition to occur. Two methods that male C. insulicola use to increase their reproductive success are post-copulatory guarding and spermatophore displacement. Post-copulatory guarding is when a male remains on the female’s back after copulation, which increases the likelihood of the first mate fertilizing the eggs. Spermatophore displacement is when the second mate replaces the first mate’s spermatophore from the optimal position in the vagina with his own spermatophore, which increases his own chances of fertilizing the eggs. The male genitalia have evolved to make spermatophore displacement more efficient, but in response, female genitalia have coevolved to minimize female fitness costs. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Carabus insulicola sighting in Tokyo on a given day, based on 99 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 145th most-seen of the 1013 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March to July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Carabus insulicola in Tokyo on a given day, against under 5% in August to February, the lowest months.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Carabus insulicola sightings, Tokyo ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Sendai (Japan, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Carabus insulicola is recorded against all the insects logged in Tokyo (99 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.
