Cotesia glomerata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Cotesia glomerata, the white butterfly parasite, is a small parasitoid wasp belonging to family Braconidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 publication 10th edition of Systema Naturae. The adults of Cotesia glomerata can reach a length of 3–7 millimetres (0.12–0.28 in). This small braconid wasp is black, with two pairs of wings. It can parasitize a wide range of Pieris butterfly species as host, but the large white (Pieris brassicae) and small white (Pieris rapae) are the main hosts. The adults feed on nectar.
After hatching from the pupae, females mate almost immediately and begin laying eggs. The eggs are laid in the larvae of butterflies known as caterpillars, where the C. glomerata larvae develop; multiple eggs numbering between 16–52 are deposited in each caterpillar. After 15 to 20 days the larvae emerge, usually killing the parasitised caterpillar. These newly emerged larvae spin cocoons in a cluster on or nearby the host caterpillar; after 7 to 10 days the imago adult wasps hatch from these cocoons. Males typically emerge before females and disperse from the area. Overall, it takes between 22 and 30 days for an egg to develop... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cabbage White Parasitoid Wasp sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 191st most-seen of the 311 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.
July and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cabbage White Parasitoid Wasp in Cape Town on a given day, against under 5% in August–October and December–June, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cabbage White Parasitoid Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Cabbage White Parasitoid Wasp sightings, Cape Town has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Lisbon (Portugal, under 5%) and London (United Kingdom, under 5%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Cabbage White Parasitoid Wasp that you can see in Cape Town (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are European Paper Wasp (about 20%), Double-Banded Carpenter Bee (about 10%) and Black Cocktail Ant (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cabbage White Parasitoid Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Cape Town (14 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.
