Megalodacne heros
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Megalodacne heros sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 61 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 48th most-seen of the 723 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and June
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Megalodacne heros in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August–September and November–March, 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.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Megalodacne heros sightings, Shenandoah National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Megalodacne heros is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (61 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.
