Aulacophora nigripennis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Aulacophora nigripennis is a species of leaf beetle in the genus Aulacophora. The beetle is relatively small with a hard, black exoskeleton containing faint yellowish dots around the sides. The head is a deep, bright orange, while A. nigripennis has a large orange compartmentalized thorax.
A. nigripennis is a pest that feeds on species of the plant genera Dianthus and Trichosanthes by creating a circular "trench" using its mandibles. After circularly cutting through the leaf, the trench overflows with sticky phloem sap that, through cohesion, sticks to form a semicircle around the beetle. The beetle then sucks the sap using its mouth.
A. nigripennis stores cucurbitacins from curcurbit plants for use as defense. Researchers in Japan have conducted research in using "trap plants" to kill off and reduce the numbers of A. nigripennis. Because A. nigripennis is attracted particularly to Dianthus pungens in the genus Dianthus, D. pungens trap plants were the most effective, reducing the population of A. nigripennis from 1.5 beetles per 100 carnation plants to a mere 0.1 beetles, a 93.3% reduction. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Aulacophora nigripennis sighting in Osaka on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 89th most-seen of the 352 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Aulacophora nigripennis in Osaka on a given day, against under 5% in December to March, the lowest months. That is one of Osaka's wettest months, with about 190 mm of rain against 55 mm in January.
4th of 6
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Aulacophora nigripennis sightings, Osaka ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Nagoya (Japan, about 30%), Tokyo (Japan, about 20%) and Fukuoka (Japan, about 10%).
Same family: Chrysomelidae
The closest relatives of the Aulacophora nigripennis that you can see in Osaka (family Chrysomelidae, Leaf Beetles) are Chrysolina aurichalcea (about 10%) and Dactylispa fulvipes (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Aulacophora nigripennis is recorded against all the insects logged in Osaka (30 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.
