Hermetia illucens
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Hermetia illucens, known colloquially as the black soldier fly, is a widespread fly of the family Stratiomyidae. Black soldier fly larvae are commonly utilized in composting systems due to their ability to rapidly break down food waste. In recent years, H. illucens has increasingly been gaining attention because of its hyperaccumulation of protein and fats via consumption of renewable substrates.
This species is native to the Neotropical realm, but in recent decades has spread across all continents, becoming virtually cosmopolitan. It is present in parts of North America and Europe, including the Iberian Peninsula, southern France, Italy, Croatia, Malta, the Canary Islands, and Switzerland, and on the Black Sea coast of Russia in Krasnodar.
It can also be found in the Afrotropical realm, the Australasian realm, the east Palaearctic realm, the Nearctic realm, North Africa, Southern Africa, and the Indomalayan realm, including South Asia such as India and Pakistan.
The adults of H. illucens measure about 16 millimetres (5⁄8 in) long. These medium-sized flies have a predominantly black body, with metallic reflections ranging from blue to green on the... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cần Thơ | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Davao City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 3 | Raipur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Monrovia | 🇱🇷 Liberia | |
| 5 | Thrissur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Nanchang | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 8 | Tiruppur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Thiruvananthapuram | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Tasikmalaya | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Soldier Fly sighting in Auckland on a given day, based on 121 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 51st most-seen of the 689 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.
December to April
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black Soldier Fly in Auckland on a given day, against under 5% in September to November, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Soldier Fly sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
51st of 147
Of the 147 cities where we can rate Black Soldier Fly sightings, Auckland ranks 51st at about 10%. The best odds are in Cần Thơ (Vietnam, about 50%), Davao City (Philippines, about 40%) and Raipur (India, about 40%).
Same family: Stratiomyidae
The closest relatives of the Black Soldier Fly that you can see in Auckland (family Stratiomyidae, Soldier Flies) are Garden Soldier Fly (about 20%) and Benhamyia apicalis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Soldier Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Auckland (121 verified sightings), 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.
