Cuspicona simplex
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Cuspicona simplex, commonly known as the green potato bug, is a herbivorous species of stink bug native to Australia and introduced to New Zealand. It feeds on nightshades. It is primarily known as a pest of potatoes, tomatoes, and other crops in the nightshade family.
Adults are bright green, range in length from 8.25 to 10.4 mm (0.325 to 0.409 in), and have pointed humeri (shoulders). The first and second instar nymphs are much smaller, primarily black and white, with some patches of red or brown. Later nymph stages are pale green with black patches on the abdomen.
Adults usually lay 14 eggs together in a mass on the undersides of leaves. Bugs emerge and stay near the egg mass until shedding their skins. Similar to other pentatomids, Cuspicona simplex progresses through five juvenile stages called nymphs, and finally to adult. Adults overwinter on the base of plants or in loose soil until late spring, when they aggregate to mate and lay eggs. The total development time from egg to adult depends on temperature, but takes between 28 and 30 days at a constant temperature of 21 °C (70 °F).
Cuspicona simplex is usually found in association... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Green Potato Bug sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 55 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 226th most-seen of the 875 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Green Potato Bug in Melbourne on a given day, against under 5% in March–September and November–January, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Green Potato Bug sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Green Potato Bug sightings, Melbourne ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Auckland (New Zealand, about 10%) and Sydney (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Green Potato Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Melbourne (55 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.
