Oplodontha viridula
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Oplodontha viridula, the common green colonel, is a European species of soldier fly. Body length 6–8 mm. Purple eyes in life with bands and spots. Thorax brilliant black, coarsely punctured and with short dull yellow pubescence. Scutellum entirely black with two yellow spines. Yellowish legs (female). Abdomen whitish, yellow or leaf green with all intermediate ranges; black longitudinal dorsal median band also variable in shape and extent than the background pastel color. The larva is light or dark brownish with different longitudinal stripes or markings: on the dorsal side it has short, depressed hairs, on the ventral side the middle space of the segments have somewhat longish hairs. The length is 16 mm.
The habitat is wetland biotope, such as marshes, meadows with locks, salt marshes and river valleys- in humid places, on herbs, Phragmites, Cnicus Adults are found from the end of April to the beginning of October. Adults feed on pollen and nectar of Achillea millefolium........
Throughout the Palearctic. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Green Colonel sighting in London on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 931st most-seen of the 1504 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Green Colonel in London on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Green Colonel 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 3 cities where we can rate Common Green Colonel sightings, London ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Warsaw (Poland, under 5%).
Same family: Stratiomyidae
The closest relatives of the Common Green Colonel that you can see in London (family Stratiomyidae, Soldier Flies) are Broad Centurion Fly (about 10%) and Twin-Spot Centurion Fly (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Green Colonel is recorded against all the insects logged in London (14 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.
