Spalgis lemolea
In 3 days >90%
Spalgis lemolea, the lemolea harvester or African apefly, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. The species was first described by Hamilton Herbert Druce in 1890. It is found in Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, from Gabon to Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, northern Zimbabwe and Botswana. The habitat consists of forests and dense savannah (Guinea savannah and miombo woodland), as well as thick riverine bush. They resemble the coccids upon which they feed. These include Dactylopius (including Dactylopius longispinus, Dactylopius virgatus var. madagascariensis), Pseudococcus, Phenacoccus, Planococcoides, Ferrisiana and Planococcus species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Lemolea Harvester sighting in Lusaka on a given day, based on 115 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 72 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April to July
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Lemolea Harvester in Lusaka on a given day, against under 5% in December, the lowest month. Those are among Lusaka's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 210 mm in January.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Lemolea Harvester sightings, Lusaka has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Kigali (Rwanda, about 20%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Lemolea Harvester that you can see in Lusaka (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are African Grass Blue (about 90%), Geranium Bronze (about 60%) and Tiny Grass Blue (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lemolea Harvester is recorded against all the insects logged in Lusaka (115 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.
