Zelus longipes
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
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 Austin on a given day, based on 76 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 374th most-seen of the 1624 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Milkweed Assassin Bug in Austin on a given day, against under 5% in January to May, the lowest months.
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.
Among the best
Of the 12 cities where we can rate Milkweed Assassin Bug sightings, Austin ranks 11th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Quito (Ecuador, about 10%), Miami (United States, about 10%) and Houston (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Zelus
The closest relatives of the Milkweed Assassin Bug that you can see in Austin (genus Zelus) are Leafhopper Assassin Bug (about 10%) and Four-Spurred Assassin Bug (about 10%), 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 Austin (76 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.
