Pelidnota punctata
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Pelidnota punctata, the grapevine beetle, spotted June beetle or spotted pelidnota, is a species of beetle in the family Scarabaeidae (Scarab beetles), subfamily Rutelinae. Grapevine beetles are common in the north and central United States and eastern Canada, but do relatively little damage to their host plants. The beetles fly at a fast speed, usually in a curving flight.
The adult beetle is approximately 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) long, but can reach 3 cm (1.2 in) occasionally. Its pattern is off-yellow or auburn red, with four black spots running down each side. Fine black lines divide the edges of its elytra. There are regional variants of Pelidnota punctata: a common southern form lacks the darker legs, while the northern form has darker legs. Adults in the northern parts of its range will have darker and more spots, while those in the southern regions may not have them at all. The grapevine beetle is a variable species, whose taxonomy was confused by a single authority (Thomas Casey) who split the species into 11 different taxa in 1915, only to have these names relegated to synonymy by subsequent workers.
This species lives throughout the eastern part of... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grapevine Beetle sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 35 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 138th most-seen of the 822 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Grapevine Beetle in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grapevine Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Grapevine Beetle sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Scarabaeidae
The closest relatives of the Grapevine Beetle that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Scarabaeidae, Scarabs) are Japanese Beetle (about 20%), High Mountain June Beetle (about 10%) and Common Green June Beetle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grapevine Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (35 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.
