Aonidiella aurantii
In 3 days ~10%
Aonidiella aurantii or red scale is an armored scale insect and a major pest of citrus. It is thought to be a native of South China but has been widely dispersed by the agency of man through the movement of infected plant material. In the United States it is known as California red scale. It was first found in California between 1868 and 1875, apparently brought there on planting material imported from Australia.
The female scale insect has a circular, brownish-red cover about 1.8 millimetres in diameter. It is firmly attached to the surface when the female is moulting or reproducing. The insect itself is visible through the cover and has an oval body which becomes kidney-shaped at the last instar stage. The female molts twice, exuding the material from which the cover is formed and developing a concentric ring in the center each time. There is a characteristic whitish coating on the underside of the body which separates it from the host plant. The female is viviparous with the eggs hatching internally. She produces 100 to 150 young altogether and live nymphs or crawlers emerge from under their mother's cover at the rate of two to three per day. When they first hatch... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a California Red Scale sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 777th most-seen of the 851 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a California Red Scale in Los Angeles on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate California Red Scale sightings, Los Angeles ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Auckland (New Zealand, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the California Red Scale is recorded against all the insects logged in Los Angeles (5 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.
