Pithanus maerkelii
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Pithanus maerkelii is a species of plant bug that belongs to the family Miridae. The species is native to Europe and northern Asia and has been introduced to North America. This species is found in Europe occurring in the Mediterranean basin but only on the western northern edge. To the east this species can be found across the Palearctic to European Russia and Ukraine. The species was introduced to North America being found in the United States and Canada. Their introduction to North America means that this species now has a holarctic distribution.
They inhabit grasses and sedges located in meadows and low-lying areas. They are seen often be found on the ground but can occasionally be on plants, sometimes in association with Mimoceps insignis. This species can grow to 4-5 mm in length and has a rather ant-like appearance being similar to the silky ant (Formica fusca) found in Europe. It tends to have small, rudimentary wings although fully winged females do occur infrequently.
They feed by sucking on their host plants stalks (knots) and ears (ovules). Pithanus maerkelii can be found feeding on species of Poaceae, Cyperaceae and Juncaceae... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pithanus maerkelii sighting in Birmingham on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 563rd most-seen of the 811 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.
June
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pithanus maerkelii in Birmingham on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pithanus maerkelii sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Birmingham, in our data
Birmingham is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Pithanus maerkelii sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Miridae
The closest relatives of the Pithanus maerkelii that you can see in Birmingham (family Miridae, Plant Bugs) are Three Spotted Nettle Bug (about 10%), Meadow Plant Bug (about 10%) and Common Nettle Flower Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pithanus maerkelii is recorded against all the insects logged in Birmingham (8 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.
