Lepyronia quadrangularis
In 3 days ~10%
Lepyronia quadrangularis is a species of spittle bug that can be found in many places in the world. The adults are brownish with two oblique darker brown bands that strike across their fore wings (hemelytra). The fore wings are also marked with a small blackish curve at their tips. The eggs are laid between the leaf and the main stem of grasses from midsummer to late fall. The nymphs feed and molt under spittle and hibernate in the egg stage. Lepyronia quadrangularis is polyphagous, feeding upon a variety of grasses, shrubs, and herbs. Its common name is diamond-backed spittle bug. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Diamondback Spittlebug sighting in Houston on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 905th most-seen of the 1057 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Diamondback Spittlebug in Houston on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Diamondback Spittlebug sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Diamondback Spittlebug sightings, Houston ranks 4th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Washington (United States, under 5%), Dallas (United States, under 5%) and Austin (United States, under 5%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Diamondback Spittlebug that you can see in Houston (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Giant Leaf-Footed Bug (about 10%), North American Wheel Bug (about 10%) and Milkweed Assassin Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Diamondback Spittlebug is recorded against all the insects logged in Houston (6 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.
