Aulacophora nigripennis
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Aulacophora nigripennis is a species of leaf beetle in the genus Aulacophora. The beetle is relatively small with a hard, black exoskeleton containing faint yellowish dots around the sides. The head is a deep, bright orange, while A. nigripennis has a large orange compartmentalized thorax.
A. nigripennis is a pest that feeds on species of the plant genera Dianthus and Trichosanthes by creating a circular "trench" using its mandibles. After circularly cutting through the leaf, the trench overflows with sticky phloem sap that, through cohesion, sticks to form a semicircle around the beetle. The beetle then sucks the sap using its mouth.
A. nigripennis stores cucurbitacins from curcurbit plants for use as defense. Researchers in Japan have conducted research in using "trap plants" to kill off and reduce the numbers of A. nigripennis. Because A. nigripennis is attracted particularly to Dianthus pungens in the genus Dianthus, D. pungens trap plants were the most effective, reducing the population of A. nigripennis from 1.5 beetles per 100 carnation plants to a mere 0.1 beetles, a 93.3% reduction. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Aulacophora nigripennis sighting in Fukuoka on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 19th most-seen of the 26 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.
November
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Aulacophora nigripennis in Fukuoka on a given day, against under 5% in June, August, October and December–April, the lowest months. That is one of Fukuoka's driest months, with about 90 mm of rain against 360 mm in July.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Aulacophora nigripennis sightings, Fukuoka ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Nagoya (Japan, about 30%) and Tokyo (Japan, about 20%).
Same order: Coleoptera
The closest relatives of the Aulacophora nigripennis that you can see in Fukuoka (order Coleoptera, Beetles) are Seven-Spotted Lady Beetle (about 20%), Japanese Tiger Beetle (about 20%) and Japanese Cockchafer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Aulacophora nigripennis is recorded against all the insects logged in Fukuoka (5 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.
