Parides photinus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Parides photinus, the pink-spotted cattleheart, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It was first described by Edward Doubleday in 1844. Parides photinus has a wingspan reaching 90–100 millimetres (3.5–3.9 in). Adults are black with the hindwing having a blue-green metallic sheen, especially in the male. There are no wing bands. Two rows of red spots are found along the hindwing margin. The submarginal spots are strongly arched except for the upper two or three and the anal one; the latter is distinct on the upperside only in the female. The hindwings have short tails. The undersides are similar to the upsides. The larvae feed on Aristolochia grandiflora and A. asclepiadifolia.
A full description is provided by Rothschild, W. and Jordan, K. (1906) This species can be found from Mexico to Costa Rica, in Nicaragua and in Honduras. It lives in forests, where it is common to abundant. Its range extends from the sea level to 5000 feet (1500 metres).
Parides photinus is a member of the ascanius species group ("Fringe-spots white. Hindwing with submarginal spots and unusually also discal spots or... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | |
| 4 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pink-Spotted Cattleheart sighting in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, based on 54 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 55th most-seen of the 431 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pink-Spotted Cattleheart in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January and September, the lowest months. That is one of Cumbres de Monterrey National Park's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain against 180 mm in September.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pink-Spotted Cattleheart sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Pink-Spotted Cattleheart sightings, Cumbres de Monterrey National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Carara National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Papilionidae
The closest relatives of the Pink-Spotted Cattleheart that you can see in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (family Papilionidae, Swallowtails and Parnassians) are Pipevine Swallowtail (about 20%), Western Giant Swallowtail (about 20%) and Palamedes Swallowtail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pink-Spotted Cattleheart is recorded against all the insects logged in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (54 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.
