Dactylopius opuntiae
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Dactylopius opuntiae, also known as the prickly pear cochineal, is a species of scale insect in the family Dactylopiidae. Dactylopius opuntiae was first identified by Cockerell as Coccus cacti opuntiae after he collected it from cactus plants in Mexico in 1896. Later, it was considered a synonym of Dactylopius tomentosus, and workers often referred to the same species by different names or used the same name for different species. De Lotto notes that it became common practice to call Dactylopius opuntiae a distinct wild cochineal insect from Dactylopius tomentosus, even though their identity and status were never fully resolved. Eventually, in 1929, the species was classified as Dactylopius opuntiae by Cockerell.
All species of the family Dactylopiidae have females with an oval-shaped body that is purple-red in color and covered in a white, cotton-like wax. This wax protects the body of the cochineal from heat, cold, and predators. Adult females are sessile and form colonies of up to a few thousand individuals of mixed age, creating conspicuous clusters of white wax all over the plant. Adult females of Dactylopius opuntiae produce red glucosidal hydroxyanthrapurin... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cactus Scattered Cochineal sighting in Mexico City on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 221st most-seen of the 557 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.
April
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cactus Scattered Cochineal in Mexico City on a given day, against under 5% in May to March, the lowest months. That is one of Mexico City's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 150 mm in July.
Among the best
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Cactus Scattered Cochineal sightings, Mexico City ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Barcelona (Spain, under 5%) and San Antonio (United States, under 5%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Cactus Scattered Cochineal that you can see in Mexico City (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Mexican Treehopper (about 20%), Stenomacra marginella (about 20%) and Harlequin Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cactus Scattered Cochineal is recorded against all the insects logged in Mexico City (27 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.
