Pyrrhocoris apterus
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, is a common insect of the family Pyrrhocoridae. Easily recognisable due to its striking red and black coloration, it may be confused with the similarly coloured though unrelated Corizus hyoscyami (cinnamon bug or squash bug). Pyrrhocoris apterus is distributed throughout the Palaearctic from the Atlantic coast of Europe to northwest China. Beyond its native Palaearctic range, it has been recorded in the United States, Central America, Southern Ontario (As an invasive species), India, and Australia. It has been reported as recently expanding its distribution northwards into mainland United Kingdom and eastward on to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is frequently observed to form aggregations, especially in immature forms, containing tens to perhaps a hundred individuals.
The firebug generally mates in April and May. Its diet consists primarily of seeds from lime trees and mallows (see below). It can often be found in groups near the base of lime tree trunks, on the sunny side. The firebug can be seen in tandem formation when mating, which can last from 12 hours up to 7 days. It has been proposed that this long copulation duration... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 2 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 3 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 4 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 9 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 11 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 12 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 14 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a European Firebug sighting in Berlin on a given day, based on 1,281 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 1065 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a European Firebug in Berlin on a given day, against about 30% in May–June and November–February, the lowest months. That is one of Berlin's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 80 mm in July.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most European Firebug sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 61
Of the 61 cities where we can rate European Firebug sightings, Berlin ranks 5th at about 40%. The best odds are in Dushanbe (Tajikistan, about 60%), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan, about 50%) and Kyiv (Ukraine, about 50%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the European Firebug that you can see in Berlin (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (about 30%), Green Shield Bug (about 30%) and Issus coleoptratus (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the European Firebug is recorded against all the insects logged in Berlin (1,281 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.
