Prosapia bicincta
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Prosapia bicincta, the two-lined spittlebug, is a species of insect in the family Ischnorhinidae (formerly Cercopidae). Adults are black with two red or orange lines crossing the wings. It reaches a length of 8–10 mm. It is widespread in the eastern half of the United States. A similar species, Prosapia simulans, can be found throughout Central America where it is considered an agricultural pest.
Nymphs feed on various grasses (including centipedegrass, bermudagrass and corn) from within foam (consisting of their own spittle) produced from juices of their host plant. Adults feed on the leaves of both native and introduced species of holly, as well as on the leaves of the eastern redbud tree. It is a pest of forage grasses and turf grasses such as those grown for lawns and its consumption of these plants causes economic damage throughout the southeastern United States.
Since 2016, P. bicincta has been associated with dying patches of pasture on the island of Hawaiʻi. By 2022, the distribution of the infestation had expanded, reached more than 70,000 ha and had caused serious, widespread and long-term damage to large areas of rangelands and pastures on the island. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Two-Lined Spittlebug sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 74 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.
May
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Two-Lined Spittlebug in Austin on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months. That is one of Austin's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain against 45 mm in February.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Two-Lined Spittlebug 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 9 cities where we can rate Two-Lined Spittlebug sightings, Austin ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Washington (United States, about 10%) and Dallas (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Two-Lined Spittlebug 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 Two-Lined Spittlebug is recorded against all the insects logged in Austin (74 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.
