Ceroctis capensis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Ceroctis capensis, or spotted blister beetle, is diurnal and endemic to Southern Africa occurring in diverse habitats, and belonging to the Meloidae or Blister beetle family. It secretes a toxic liquid from its leg joints when roughly handled, blistering human skin. This species somewhat resembles Mylabris oculata, a member of the same family.
This species is found on a wide variety of plants, flying between flowers and consuming floral parts, showing a preference for the legume family and Watsonia species. It has a body length of some 12 mm while its elytra are black with yellow spots, and head, antennae and legs are black.
Adults of the Meloidae are vegetarian, flying unhurriedly between plants, protected by their aposematic colours which warn of poison. Their larvae, though, parasitise or prey on locust egg packets, or consume the eggs, pollen and honey of bees. Newly hatched triungulin larvae climb up plant stalks where they emit pheromones similar to those of a female bee. They clamber onto duped male bees and transfer to female bees when mating takes place - the female bees then carry the larvae back to her nest. Other species lay their eggs at the entrance to the bee's nest.... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spotted Blisterbeetle sighting in Garden Route National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 153rd most-seen of the 298 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and September–October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spotted Blisterbeetle in Garden Route National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–August and November–January, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spotted Blisterbeetle sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Spotted Blisterbeetle sightings, Garden Route National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 20%) and Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spotted Blisterbeetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Garden Route National Park (11 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.
