Lytta vesicatoria
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Lytta vesicatoria, also known as the Spanish fly, is an aposematic emerald-green beetle in the blister beetle family (Meloidae). It is distributed across Eurasia. The species and others in its family were used in traditional apothecary preparations as "Cantharides". The insect is the source of the terpenoid cantharidin, a toxic blistering agent once used as an exfoliating agent, anti-rheumatic drug and an aphrodisiac. The substance has also found culinary use in some blends of the North African spice mix ras el hanout. Its various supposed benefits have been responsible for accidental poisonings.
The generic name is from the Greek λύττα (lytta), meaning martial rage, raging madness, Bacchic frenzy, or rabies. The specific name is derived from Latin vesica, bladder. Lytta vesicatoria was formerly named Cantharis vesicatoria, although the genus Cantharis is in an unrelated family, Cantharidae, the soldier beetles. It was classified there erroneously until the Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius corrected its name in his Systema entomologiae in 1775. He reclassified the Spanish fly as the type species of the new genus Lytta, in the family Meloidae.
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 2 | Almaty | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | |
| 3 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 4 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Spanish Fly sighting in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 806th most-seen of the 1277 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spanish Fly in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and October–June, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spanish Fly sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 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 Spanish Fly sightings, Pyrénées National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (Spain, about 10%).
Same family: Meloidae
The closest relatives of the Spanish Fly that you can see in Pyrénées National Park (family Meloidae, Blister Beetles) are Mylabris flexuosa (about 10%), Violet Oil Beetle (about 10%) and Hycleus polymorphus (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spanish Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Pyrénées National Park (9 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.
