Bactrocera cucurbitae
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Zeugodacus cucurbitae, the melon fly, is a fruit fly of the family Tephritidae. It is a serious agricultural pest, particularly in Hawaii. The adult melon fly is 6 to 8 mm in length. Distinctive characteristics include its wing pattern, its long third antennal segment, the reddish yellow dorsum of the thorax with light yellow markings, and the yellowish head with black spots.
The egg is elliptical, about 2 mm long, and pure white. It is almost flat on the ventral surface, and more convex on the dorsal. Eggs are often somewhat longitudinally curved. The larva is a cylindrical-maggot shape, elongated, with the anterior end narrowed a somewhat curved ventrally. It has anterior mouth hooks, ventral fusiform areas and a flattened caudal end. Last instar larvae range from 7.5 to 11.8 mm in length.
The puparium ranges in color from dull red or brownish yellow to dull white, and is about 5 to 6 mm in length. Development period from egg to adult ranges from 12 to 28 days. The female may lay as many as 1,000 eggs. Eggs are generally laid in young fruit 2-4mm deep, but are also laid in the succulent stems... 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 a Melon Fly sighting in Hyderabad on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 243rd most-seen of the 318 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.
March and June–July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Melon Fly in Hyderabad on a given day, against under 5% in April–May and August–February, the lowest months. Those are among Hyderabad's wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain a month against almost none in December.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Melon Fly sightings, Hyderabad ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Dhaka (Bangladesh, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Melon Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Hyderabad (7 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.
