Carlisis wahlbergi
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Carlisis wahlbergi (Stål, 1858) aka the Gardenia twig wilter is a Central and Southern African species of Coreidae in the order Hemiptera. The species was first described by Carl Stål, the Swedish authority on Hemiptera, and based on a specimen collected by the Swedish naturalist Johan August Wahlberg at Lake Ngami in Bechuanaland.
The species shows a marked preference for the sap of Gardenia thunbergia and Gardenia volkensii, and its nymphs possess powerfully offensive scent glands to discourage predation or interference. This defensive secretion has been analysed and found to consist largely of acetic acid (66%), trans-2-hexenal (17%) and 3-hydroxybutanal (14%). Even so the adults are eaten in Zimbabwe. Nymphs of various Coreids secrete alarm pheromones from the dorsal abdominal glands. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Gardenia Twig Wilter sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 202nd 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.
February and March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gardenia Twig Wilter in Cape Town on a given day, against under 5% in April to January, the lowest months. Those are among Cape Town's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 140 mm in June.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gardenia Twig Wilter sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Gardenia Twig Wilter sightings, Cape Town ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Johannesburg (South Africa, about 10%) and Pretoria (South Africa, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gardenia Twig Wilter is recorded against all the insects logged in Cape Town (11 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.
