Homalodisca liturata
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Homalodisca liturata, also known as the smoketree sharpshooter or the lacertate sharpshooter, is a species of leafhopper native to North America. The smoketree sharpshooter uses a number of host species but prefers desert smoketree (Psorothamnus spinosus) where available. This is a comparatively large leafhopper at approximately 13 millimeters long. It, like other species in its genus, is a known vector of Xylella fastidiosa. Acoustic signaling is known to occur in both male and female smoketree sharpshooters. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Smoketree Sharpshooter sighting in Las Vegas on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 30th most-seen of the 111 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Smoketree Sharpshooter in Las Vegas on a given day, against under 5% in April and December–February, the lowest months. That is one of Las Vegas's driest months, with almost no rain against 25 mm in February.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Smoketree Sharpshooter sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Smoketree Sharpshooter sightings, Las Vegas ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Mesa (United States, about 10%) and Phoenix (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Smoketree Sharpshooter that you can see in Las Vegas (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Small Milkweed Bug (about 20%), Citrus Cicada (about 20%) and Four-Spurred Assassin Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Smoketree Sharpshooter is recorded against all the insects logged in Las Vegas (25 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.
