Cerceris fumipennis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Cerceris fumipennis, the only species of buprestid-hunting Philanthidae occurring in eastern North America, is found throughout the continental United States east of the Rockies, from Texas and Florida north to Maine, Wyoming, and into Canada. The wasps most often nest in open areas of hard-packed sandy soil surrounded by woody habitat suitable for their buprestid beetle prey.
Cerceris fumipennis is distinguished by five conspicuous characteristics: It is large, about the size of common yellow jacket wasps. It has dark smoky, blue/black wings. The wasp's body is predominantly black except for a few yellow markings.
It has a conspicuous, single, broad, creamy yellow abdominal band. Females have three creamy patches between the eyes, while males are marked with two yellow triangles abutting their eyes. Cerceris fumipennis is a solitary, ground-nesting wasp. Each lone female constructs and attempts to maintain a single subterranean nest for the duration of the flight season. Her solitary nest is in close proximity to others, forming a neighborhood or informal colony of nests. The nest's entrance is easily visible, marked by a small, circular mound... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Smoky-Winged Beetle Bandit Wasp sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 29 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 347th 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Smoky-Winged Beetle Bandit Wasp in Chicago on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
5th of 9
Of the 9 cities where we can rate Smoky-Winged Beetle Bandit Wasp sightings, Chicago ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Boston (United States, about 10%), Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (United States, under 5%) and Baltimore (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Smoky-Winged Beetle Bandit Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Chicago (29 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.
