Zelus longipes
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Zelus longipes is an assassin bug (Reduviidae) that is a member of the Harpactorinae subfamily. Its distribution ranges include southern North America, Central America, and South America (except Chile), especially in agroecosystems in Brazil.
Zelus longipes has been considered as a potential biocontrol agent, as it prefers caterpillars of Spodoptera frugiperda, which is a moth that is a pest in cornfields. The species is a generalist predator, commonly used to combat picture-winged flies (Diptera: Ulidiidae), which cause damage to sweet corn yields in Florida. Z. longipes prefers smaller caterpillars, probably because there is less risk of injury while subduing smaller prey. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 8 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Milkweed Assassin Bug sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 193rd most-seen of the 262 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.
January
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Milkweed Assassin Bug in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May–September and November–December, the lowest months. That is one of Big Cypress National Preserve's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain against 260 mm in June.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Milkweed Assassin Bug sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Milkweed Assassin Bug sightings, Big Cypress National Preserve ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Everglades National Park (United States, about 20%), Volcán Barú National Park (Panama, about 10%) and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Milkweed Assassin Bug that you can see in Big Cypress National Preserve (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Red Bay Psyllid (about 20%), Eastern Toe-Biter (about 20%) and Two-Lined Spittlebug (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Milkweed Assassin Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Cypress National Preserve (6 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.
