Geodorcus helmsi
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Geodorcus helmsi, known as New Zealand giant stag beetle or Helms's stag beetle, is a large, slow-moving, flightless stag beetle in the family Lucanidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. Geodorcus helmsi is a large flightless stag beetle that varies in colour from black to brownish-black. Its dorsal surface can vary from dull to glossy. Like other stag beetles, they show sexual dimorphism: males range in size from 17.5–44.0 mm, including their large mandibles, while females are smaller (16.5–27.5 mm) with less conspicuous mandibles. In larger male specimens, the mandibles are long, slender and strongly arched with a conspicuous tooth near their base. There is no evidence of different male morphs in this species. G. helmsi is distinguished from other Geodorcus by its straight un-arched tibiae, and five setose ridges on the elytra.
Geodorcus helmsi is the most widespread of the ten Geodorcus species, having been collected from Karamea on the northern West Coast of New Zealand to the south of the South Island, as far as Tapanui in West Otago. It has also been collected from islands in Fiordland and from Stewart Island. Adults have a wide altitudinal range... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Helms's Stag Beetle sighting in Fiordland National Park on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 201 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, April and August
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Helms's Stag Beetle in Fiordland National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, July and September–October, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Helms's Stag 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.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Helms's Stag Beetle sightings, Fiordland National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Rakiura National Park (New Zealand, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Helms's Stag Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Fiordland National Park (40 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.
