American Pelecinid Wasp

American Pelecinid Wasp

Pelecinus polyturator

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Chicago

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

10 Verified sightings at Chicago
177 In all 10 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the American Pelecinid Wasp

Pelecinus polyturator is a species of wasp in the family Pelecinidae. The large (up to 7 cm) glossy black insects are the most common and well-known members of the family. The adults drink nectar, and they live in crop fields, woods, and suburban gardens throughout North, Central, and South America. Their antennae are long and the females have an elongated, cylindrical, articulated metasoma. They are parasitoids that lay their eggs directly into grubs of the June beetle (genus Phyllophaga) buried in the soil. The adults can be found in the late summer.

Some populations of Pelecinus polyturator are parthenogenic; females do not require fertilization by males to reproduce. Females are common throughout its range, but males are rare in the United States and Canada specially in some populations, and more prevalent further south. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
2 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
3 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
5 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
7 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
10 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
2 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
5 Detroit 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Medellín 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
7 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
8 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an American Pelecinid Wasp in Chicago?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an American Pelecinid Wasp sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 637th most-seen of the 978 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.

When is the best time to see an American Pelecinid Wasp in Chicago?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an American Pelecinid Wasp in Chicago on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see an American Pelecinid Wasp?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Pelecinid Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Chicago the best place to see an American Pelecinid Wasp?

9th of 10

Of the 10 cities where we can rate American Pelecinid Wasp sightings, Chicago ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Montreal (Canada, about 10%), Denver (United States, about 10%) and Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (United States, under 5%).

Where does the American Pelecinid Wasp sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the American Pelecinid Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Chicago (10 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.

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