Megalodacne heros
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Megalodacne heros is a species of pleasing fungus beetle in the family Erotylidae. It is found in eastern North America. 10-23 mm in length and 6.5-9 mm wide as adult, by standards of its family this beetle is huge, and across its range it is the largest pleasing fungus beetle. Its close relative M.fasciata, which co-occurs with M.heros, can often be distinguished by smaller size (less than 20 mm), and always by having a pronotum that has flaring side margins instead of an almost rectangular shape, and "shoulder" blotches that are less extensive.
Media related to Megalodacne heros at Wikimedia Commons Boyle, W. Wayne (1956). "A revision of the Erotylidae of America North of Mexico (Coleoptera)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 110 (2): 61–172. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Megalodacne heros sighting in Washington on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 851st most-seen of the 1807 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Megalodacne heros in Washington on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Megalodacne heros 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 Washington, in our data
Washington is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Megalodacne heros sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Megalodacne heros is recorded against all the insects logged in Washington (20 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.
