Lytta magister
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Lytta magister, the desert blister beetle or master blister beetle, is a species of blister beetle found in southwestern North America. Typically 16 to 33 mm (0.6 to 1.3 in) in length, L. magister has a striking red head, legs and prothorax, with black elytra. They can be found in great numbers in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts in spring, and are often seen in swarms.
Females lay eggs in holes in the desert soil. The larvae are insectivorous, mainly attacking bee nests. They consume the immature host along with its provisions, and can often survive on the provisions alone, thus they are not obligatory parasitoids but rather food parasites that are facultatively parasitoid, or simply predatory. Adults feed on flowers and leaves of brittlebush. Though they are not venomous, they can in fact bite. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Master Blister Beetle sighting in Death Valley National Park on a given day, based on 95 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 108 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Master Blister Beetle in Death Valley National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to January, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Master Blister Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Master Blister Beetle sightings, Death Valley National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 20%) and Grand Canyon National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Meloidae
The closest relatives of the Master Blister Beetle that you can see in Death Valley National Park (family Meloidae, Blister Beetles) are Inflated Beetle (about 30%), Eupompha schwarzi (about 20%) and Phodaga alticeps (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Master Blister Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Death Valley National Park (95 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.
