Cheilomenes sexmaculata
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Cheilomenes sexmaculata is a species of ladybird. Although sometimes known by the common name of six-spotted zigzag ladybird, this is misleading as there are several colour morphs and some colour morphs of the species can be confused with Micraspis discolor and Chilocorus nigrita. The species has a wide distribution range within the Asian tropics and subtropical zones from India to Japan and parts of the Australian region. They have been introduced into the Caribbean islands as a biocontrol agent and their spread to South America was noted in 2019. It is well known as a predator of aphids and other small insects.
This species is about 3 to 4 mm in body length. It is a voracious predator on several whiteflies and aphids such as Aphis gossypii, Myzus persicae, Aphis craccivora, Amrasca, Empoasca and Leptocentrus. In addition to them, it feeds on a wide prey range including, scale insects, and diaspids.
The elytral colour has been identified as being controlled by two genes with two alleles each U-u and D-d and the phenotypes have been grouped into varieties quadriplagiata (“Q”) [UUDD,UUDd,UuDD,UuDd]; unifasciata (“U”) [Uudd,UUdd]; diversijunata... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caroni Swamp | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 2 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 5 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Xiuying District | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Rajkot | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Tiruchirappalli | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Davao City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 6 | Dhaka | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | |
| 7 | Nanchang | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 8 | Prayagraj | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Vasai-Virar | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Naha | 🇯🇵 Japan |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird sighting in New Delhi on a given day, based on 97 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 174 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and December–January
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird in New Delhi on a given day, against under 5% in July, the lowest month. Those are among New Delhi's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 220 mm in July.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
32nd of 74
Of the 74 cities where we can rate Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird sightings, New Delhi ranks 32nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Quito (Ecuador, about 50%), Xiuying District (China, about 50%) and Rajkot (India, about 40%).
Same family: Coccinellidae
The closest relatives of the Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird that you can see in New Delhi (family Coccinellidae, Lady Beetles) are Seven-Spotted Lady Beetle (about 20%), Anegleis cardoni (about 10%) and Three-Striped Lady Beetle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird is recorded against all the insects logged in New Delhi (97 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.
