Cheilomenes sexmaculata
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Cheilomenes sexmaculata is a species of ladybird. Although sometimes known by the common name of six-spotted zigzag ladybird, this is misleading as there are several colour morphs and some colour morphs of the species can be confused with Micraspis discolor and Chilocorus nigrita. The species has a wide distribution range within the Asian tropics and subtropical zones from India to Japan and parts of the Australian region. They have been introduced into the Caribbean islands as a biocontrol agent and their spread to South America was noted in 2019. It is well known as a predator of aphids and other small insects.
This species is about 3 to 4 mm in body length. It is a voracious predator on several whiteflies and aphids such as Aphis gossypii, Myzus persicae, Aphis craccivora, Amrasca, Empoasca and Leptocentrus. In addition to them, it feeds on a wide prey range including, scale insects, and diaspids.
The elytral colour has been identified as being controlled by two genes with two alleles each U-u and D-d and the phenotypes have been grouped into varieties quadriplagiata (“Q”) [UUDD,UUDd,UuDD,UuDd]; unifasciata (“U”) [Uudd,UUdd]; diversijunata... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caroni Swamp | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 2 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 5 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Xiuying District | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Rajkot | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Tiruchirappalli | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Davao City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 6 | Dhaka | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | |
| 7 | Nanchang | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 8 | Prayagraj | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Vasai-Virar | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Naha | 🇯🇵 Japan |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird sighting in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 78th most-seen of the 182 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February and August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, against under 5% in June–July, September–October and December, the lowest months. Those are among Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]'s driest months, with about 85 mm of rain a month against 310 mm in November.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
60th of 74
Of the 74 cities where we can rate Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird sightings, Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] ranks 60th at about 10%. The best odds are in Quito (Ecuador, about 50%), Xiuying District (China, about 50%) and Rajkot (India, about 40%).
Same family: Coccinellidae
The closest relatives of the Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird that you can see in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] (family Coccinellidae, Lady Beetles) are Anegleis cardoni (about 20%) and Small Transverse Ladybird Beetle (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird is recorded against all the insects logged in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] (16 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.
