Poecilobothrus nobilitatus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Poecilobothrus nobilitatus or semaphore fly is a species of fly in the highly studied family Dolichopodidae. P. nobilitatus flies are popular study subjects because they are easy to recognize and are of large size. They mainly reside around ponds and wet lands, where most of their hunting and mating take place. Their mating ritual is highly studied due to their distinctive mate selection behaviors.
P. nobilitatus has been found in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. Many flies in the Dolichopodidae family have metallic green reflections in their cornea due to the cornea's wavelength-selective spectral reflectance. Their cornea is built like a multi-layered mirror that reduces the transmission of green light to the cornea's light receptors. This results in distinctive green iridescent eyes that many of the flies have.
The P. nobilitatus species exhibits sexual dimorphism; females and males have distinctive wing markings. Males are usually 7mm long and are smoky black on the distal half... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 5 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Semaphore Fly sighting in London on a given day, based on 54 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 462nd most-seen of the 1504 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Semaphore Fly in London on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Semaphore Fly sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Semaphore Fly sightings, London ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Semaphore Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in London (54 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.
