Nyctoporis carinata
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Nyctoporis carinata, also known as the armored night-walker and the flightless darkling beetle, is a species of beetle native to California along the coast and the Coast Ranges. Adult Nyctoporis carinata reach 12–16 millimetres (0.47–0.63 in) in length. They are black and covered in indentations, bumps, and ridges. Golden hairs are attached to their feet, or tarsi. Because their wing covers are fused, they are flightless. They are found in leaf litter and rocky debris.
Preliminary genetic analysis suggests that Nyctoporis carinata and Nyctoporis vandykei may in fact be synonymous species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Armored Night-Walker sighting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 84th most-seen of the 161 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Armored Night-Walker in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, against under 5% in August to April, the lowest months. Those are among Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in January.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Armored Night-Walker sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Armored Night-Walker sightings, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Channel Islands National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Tenebrionidae
The closest relatives of the Armored Night-Walker that you can see in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (family Tenebrionidae, Darkling Beetles) are California Broad-Necked Darkling Beetle (about 10%) and Serrated Darkling Beetle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Armored Night-Walker is recorded against all the insects logged in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (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.
