Epicauta hirticornis
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Epicauta hirticornis is a beetle species from the family of oil beetles (Meloidae). The species was first scientifically described in 1880 by Haag-Rutenberg. Epicauta hirticornis beetles have slender bodies with black elytra, red heads, and black-and-white striped abdomens. Their heads are distinctly separated from the prothorax, and the tip of their abdomens are visible beyond the tip of their elytra. They are gregarious and typically found in groups.
Before mating, pairs of Epicauta hirticornis display unique courtship behavior. When the male mounts a female, he will entwine either his left or right antenna with the female's own, forming a double-helix shape. Once entwined, the antennae then vibrate, typically for between 30-60 seconds. Females occasionally avoid mating by pressing their antennae against the surfaces of their host plant or by otherwise hiding their antennae.
Gravid females lay their elongated yellow eggs in clusters of 100–200 in holes they make in the soil. Once the larvae hatch, they burrow through the soil until they find a grasshopper egg mass to feed upon. Over the next 3-4 weeks, the larvae will molt four times... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Epicauta hirticornis sighting in Taroko National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 181st most-seen of the 447 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Epicauta hirticornis in Taroko National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to January, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Epicauta hirticornis sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Taroko National Park, in our data
Taroko National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Epicauta hirticornis sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Coleoptera
The closest relatives of the Epicauta hirticornis that you can see in Taroko National Park (order Coleoptera, Beetles) are Sympiezomias cribricollis (about 60%), Morphosphaera chrysomeloides (about 30%) and Cicindela batesi (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Epicauta hirticornis is recorded against all the insects logged in Taroko National Park (12 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.
