Oebalus pugnax
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Oebalus pugnax, the rice stink bug, is a flying insect in the shield bug family Pentatomidae native to North America that has become a major agricultural pest in the Southern United States. It has been a known pest since at least the time of Johan Christian Fabricius, who described the species in 1775.
The adult Oebalus pugnax measures 0.375 inches (9.5 mm) to 0.50 inches (13 mm) long. It has a narrow profile that forms the shield shape characteristic of other stink bugs. These true bugs are typically straw-colored with sharp points on the apex of the shield and a yellow triangle exhibited on center of the shield. Some adults have gray coloring near the yellow triangle, while others may be a darker brown rather than straw-colored. However, the rice stink bug is easily distinguished from other stink bugs because of its narrower profile and lighter color than, for example, the brown marmorated stink bug.
The rice stink bug is a significant pest of rice crops in the southern U.S., including Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas (the Rice Belt). This agricultural pest is known to attack cereal crops with small seeds, particularly wheat... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rice Stink Bug sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 62 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 422nd 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 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rice Stink Bug in Austin on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rice Stink Bug sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Rice Stink Bug sightings, Austin ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Dallas (United States, about 10%) and Houston (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Pentatomidae
The closest relatives of the Rice Stink Bug that you can see in Austin (family Pentatomidae, Stink Bugs) are Elf Shoe Stink Bug (about 10%), Green Stink Bug (about 10%) and Juniper Stink Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rice Stink Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Austin (62 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.
