Ptyelus grossus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Ptyelus grossus is an Auchenorrhynchan spittlebug in the family Aphrophoridae. Occurring from Southern Africa through to West Africa, the species is gregarious in its larval and nymph stages, feeding on a variety of plants, and producing protective shelters of acrid foam from their host plant's sap. Excreted in large quantities, the foam drips incessantly causing wet patches on the soil below.
Adults have slate-grey wings, each wing with two white and yellow patches near the outer margin. The head is white, rounded with large dark eyes and small black and yellow marks on the forehead. Favoured trees are Tipuana, Peltophorum and Lonchocarpus, although its catholic diet includes species of Grevillea, Rhus, Acacia, Vangueria and even Eucalyptus.
Nymphs are preyed upon by the gorytine wasp Gorytes natalensis, the drosophilid fly Leucophenga and other carnivorous insects. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Raintree Spittlebug sighting in Johannesburg on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 139th most-seen of the 213 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.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Raintree Spittlebug in Johannesburg on a given day, against under 5% in January and March–October, the lowest months. That is one of Johannesburg's wettest months, with about 90 mm of rain against almost none in July.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Raintree Spittlebug sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 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 2 cities where we can rate Common Raintree Spittlebug sightings, Johannesburg ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Durban (South Africa, about 10%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Common Raintree Spittlebug that you can see in Johannesburg (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Brown Stink Bug (about 20%), Gardenia Twig Wilter (about 10%) and Southern Green Stink Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Raintree Spittlebug is recorded against all the insects logged in Johannesburg (8 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.
