Megalodacne heros
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Megalodacne heros is a species of pleasing fungus beetle in the family Erotylidae. It is found in eastern North America. 10-23 mm in length and 6.5-9 mm wide as adult, by standards of its family this beetle is huge, and across its range it is the largest pleasing fungus beetle. Its close relative M.fasciata, which co-occurs with M.heros, can often be distinguished by smaller size (less than 20 mm), and always by having a pronotum that has flaring side margins instead of an almost rectangular shape, and "shoulder" blotches that are less extensive.
Media related to Megalodacne heros at Wikimedia Commons Boyle, W. Wayne (1956). "A revision of the Erotylidae of America North of Mexico (Coleoptera)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 110 (2): 61–172. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Megalodacne heros sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 497 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 822 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.
May
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Megalodacne heros in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to February, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Megalodacne heros 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 3 parks where we can rate Megalodacne heros sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 20%) and Congaree National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Coleoptera
The closest relatives of the Megalodacne heros that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (order Coleoptera, Beetles) are Asian Lady Beetle (about 30%), Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle (about 30%) and Japanese Beetle (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Megalodacne heros is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (497 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.
