Siphanta acuta
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Siphanta acuta is a species of planthopper in the family Flatidae; this species is native to Australia, but is now found in various other parts of the world. About 10 mm long, they resemble small leaves and are generally found in trees. Its common names are the green planthopper or leaf bug (in Australia and New Zealand), and the torpedo bug (in Hawaii).
Adult Siphanta acuta are large-winged (as are other members of the family Flatidae) and bright green. Their wings are triangular, sharply pointed at the tip, and sit held like a steep roof. Their wings project behind the end of their abdomen and almost reach the ground. Most of their body is concealed. A pointed head and distal segments of front and middle legs (sometimes tarsus of hind legs) are visible.
The body length of mature green planthoppers is around 9.3 mm. They have two pairs of wings, three pairs of legs, one pair of antennae, and compound eyes on either side of their head. They have piercing/sucking mouthparts and females have an ovipositor at the end of the abdomen.
Nymphs of Siphanta acuta are white with a pair of waxy filaments either side of the sixth abdominal segment, with two long tufts at the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Lisbon | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 8 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Torpedo Bug sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 145th 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 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, July, October and December–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Torpedo Bug in Cape Town on a given day, against under 5% in February, April–June, August–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Torpedo Bug 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.
8th of 8
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Torpedo Bug sightings, Cape Town ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Auckland (New Zealand, about 10%), Johannesburg (South Africa, about 10%) and San Francisco (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Torpedo Bug that you can see in Cape Town (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Brown Stink Bug (about 20%), Southern Green Stink Bug (about 10%) and Common Tip Wilter (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Torpedo Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Cape Town (21 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.
