Eleodes obscura
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Eleodes obscura, commonly known as the obscure darkling beetle, is a species of darkling beetle in the genus Eleodes of western North America. It ranges from south-central British Columbia, eastern Washington and Oregon, south to northern Mexico and east to Nebraska, Kansas and Texas.
Eleodes obscura is dull, black, 23–31 mm (0.9–1.2 in) long with grooved elytra. Each front femur bears an anterior tooth near the tibia. The pronotum lacks obvious forward projections from the anterior corners. The diet of Eleodes obscura includes dead plant material, animal remains, roots, and seeds. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report an Obscure Darkling Beetle sighting in Zion National Park on a given day, based on 168 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 114 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report an Obscure Darkling Beetle in Zion National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December and January, the lowest months.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Obscure Darkling Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Obscure Darkling Beetle sightings, Zion National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Guadalupe Mountains National Park (United States, about 30%) and Grand Canyon National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same genus: Eleodes
The closest relatives of the Obscure Darkling Beetle that you can see in Zion National Park (genus Eleodes, Desert Stink Beetles) are Rough-Lipped Darkling Beetle (about 10%) and Extricated Darkling Beetle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Obscure Darkling Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Zion National Park (168 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.
