Dactylopius opuntiae
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Dactylopius opuntiae, also known as the prickly pear cochineal, is a species of scale insect in the family Dactylopiidae. Dactylopius opuntiae was first identified by Cockerell as Coccus cacti opuntiae after he collected it from cactus plants in Mexico in 1896. Later, it was considered a synonym of Dactylopius tomentosus, and workers often referred to the same species by different names or used the same name for different species. De Lotto notes that it became common practice to call Dactylopius opuntiae a distinct wild cochineal insect from Dactylopius tomentosus, even though their identity and status were never fully resolved. Eventually, in 1929, the species was classified as Dactylopius opuntiae by Cockerell.
All species of the family Dactylopiidae have females with an oval-shaped body that is purple-red in color and covered in a white, cotton-like wax. This wax protects the body of the cochineal from heat, cold, and predators. Adult females are sessile and form colonies of up to a few thousand individuals of mixed age, creating conspicuous clusters of white wax all over the plant. Adult females of Dactylopius opuntiae produce red glucosidal hydroxyanthrapurin... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cactus Scattered Cochineal sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1392nd most-seen of the 1624 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cactus Scattered Cochineal in Austin on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Among the best
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Cactus Scattered Cochineal sightings, Austin ranks 4th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Barcelona (Spain, under 5%), San Antonio (United States, under 5%) and Mexico City (México, under 5%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Cactus Scattered Cochineal that you can see in Austin (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Superb Dog-Day Cicada (about 20%), Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (about 10%) and Eastern Leaf-Footed Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cactus Scattered Cochineal is recorded against all the insects logged in Austin (6 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.
