Melacoryphus lateralis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Melacoryphus lateralis pronounced (mela-co-riff-is ladder-a-lis) a species of Hemiptera, or true bug one of several called black-and-red seed bug. Black and fringed with red and gray, some call it the charcoal seed bug, due to its resemblance to a dying ember. Native to the deserts of western North America, they have a tendency to appear in large numbers in the late summer. The Melacoryphus lateralis are close relatives of the small milkweed bug, another black-and-orange insect and are also very durable being able to survive being stomped on. Body sizes range from 0.06 inches (1.5 mm) up to 0.47 inches (12 mm). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Charcoal Seed Bug sighting in Denver on a given day, based on 39 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 128th most-seen of the 461 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.
June to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Charcoal Seed Bug in Denver on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months. Those are among Denver's wettest months, with about 50 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in January.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Charcoal Seed Bug sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Charcoal Seed Bug sightings, Denver ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Mesa (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Charcoal Seed Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Denver (39 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.
