Diabrotica speciosa
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Diabrotica speciosa, also known as the cucurbit beetle and in Spanish as vaquita de San Antonio (this common name is also given to many ladybugs) is an insect pest native to South America. Its larvae feed on the roots of crops. The cucurbit beetle is also known to transmit several viruses such as comoviruses and different mosaic viruses. This is native to South America and is now distributed in Central America and other global areas.
Common names include the Cucurbit Beetle and San Antonio beetle. Their native land is South America in countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Their current distribution is in Central America including countries such as Costa Rica, Mexico, and Panama. There are no known location or year of first introduction of D. speciosa to new habitats.
D. speciosa can move locally by adult flight, and by movement of eggs, larvae or pupae in soil contaminating vehicles or farm machinery. For long-distance spread, adults could be present on host plants for planting, but these are not of the kind normally moved in international trade, and the active adults will not necessarily... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | Cordoba | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Cochabamba | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 6 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Brasilia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 9 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 10 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Diabrotica speciosa sighting in Iguaçu National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 195th most-seen of the 279 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.
May and June
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Diabrotica speciosa in Iguaçu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–August and October–April, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Diabrotica speciosa sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Diabrotica speciosa sightings, Iguaçu National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Iguazú National Park (Argentina, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Diabrotica speciosa is recorded against all the insects logged in Iguaçu National Park (8 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.
