Euptoieta hegesia
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Euptoieta hegesia, the Mexican fritillary, is a North and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. The upperside of the wings is bright orange with the basal part of the hindwing unmarked. There is a row of submarginal black spots on both the forewing and the hindwing. The underside of the wings is yellow orange with no submarginal black spots. It has a wingspan of 2.5 to 3 inches.
The only similar species in the Mexican fritillary's range is the variegated fritillary (Euptoieta claudia). The variegated fritillary has black median lines on the upperside of the hindwing, and on the underside of the hindwing it has a pale postmedian band.
The Mexican fritillary may be seen from mid-June to November in Arizona, from July to December in Texas and year-round in Mexico. This species may be encountered in a wide range of open habitats and gardens. The larva is shiny red, with middorsal silver spots edged with black. It has a subdorsal row of white spots ringed with black, a spiracular silver line with black edges, and six rows of black spines. The red head has two long black spines with clubbed ends... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Jaragua National Park | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 3 | Ostional Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 9 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Las Baulas Marine National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 13 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 14 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Fritillary sighting in Jaragua National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 12th most-seen of the 19 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Fritillary in Jaragua National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, August and October, the lowest months. That is one of Jaragua National Park's wettest months, with about 90 mm of rain against 20 mm in January.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mexican Fritillary sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 14
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Mexican Fritillary sightings, Jaragua National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Cabo Pulmo National Park (Mexico, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Mexican Fritillary that you can see in Jaragua National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Gulf Fritillary (about 30%), Caribbean Daggerwing (about 30%) and Dingy Purplewing (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mexican Fritillary is recorded against all the insects logged in Jaragua National Park (6 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.
