Common Cruiser

Common Cruiser

Vindula erota

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Cuc Phuong National Park

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

48 Verified sightings at Cuc Phuong National Park From 2019 to 2026
118 In all 5 parks
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Common Cruiser

Vindula erota, the common cruiser, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in forested areas of tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia. Male upperside bright orange yellow. Forewing olivaceous brown at base with the following black markings: three short sinuous transverse lines across the cell; the discocellulars with an inner and outer slender line; a lunular inner discal broken transverse line, a zigzag outer discal broken transverse line, a transverse inwardly curved series of postdiscal spots, those in interspaces 5 and 6 the largest, and an inner and an outer subterminal conspicuous zigzag narrow band. Hindwing with inner and outer discal black lines and inner and outer subterminal narrow black bands as on the forewing, but the outer discal transverse line faint and ill-defined posteriorly; the space anteriorly between the two discal lines much paler yellow than the general ground colour; in addition there is a dark straight postdiscal diffuse fascia with a superposed ocellus in interspaces 2 and 5 respectively, and a lilac spot at the tornal angle. Underside similar, the basal area enclosed by the inner discal line suffused with cinnabar... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cuc Phuong National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~50%
2 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
3 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~20%
4 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
5 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Common Cruiser in Cuc Phuong National Park?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Common Cruiser sighting in Cuc Phuong National Park on a given day, based on 48 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 126 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Common Cruiser in Cuc Phuong National Park?

June

In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Common Cruiser in Cuc Phuong National Park on a given day, against about 10% in August–September and November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Common Cruiser?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Cruiser sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Cuc Phuong National Park the best place to see a Common Cruiser?

Yes

Of the 5 parks where we can rate Common Cruiser sightings, Cuc Phuong National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Namdapha National Park (India, about 40%) and Kaeng Krachan National Park (Thailand, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Common Cruiser live in Cuc Phuong National Park?

Same family: Nymphalidae

The closest relatives of the Common Cruiser that you can see in Cuc Phuong National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Little Mapwing (about 50%), Himalayan Jester (about 50%) and Marbled Map (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Common Cruiser sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Common Cruiser is recorded against all the insects logged in Cuc Phuong National Park (48 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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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