Formica japonica
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Formica japonica is a species of ant in the genus Formica. It is one of the most common ants in Japan, being found as well in Russia, Mongolia, China, Taiwan, and Korea. There is a suggestion that Formica japonica may be four separate "sibling species" as a study found four different hydrocarbon compositions throughout Japan that appeared to correspond to geographical populations, that is, the geographical populations smell different from one another. The comparisons of circular hydrocarbons revealed nestmate workers shared nearly identical blends of smells that contained all the common components of hydrocarbons but the hydrocarbon blends smelled differed among colonies. However, further research is needed to determine if the differences in hydrocarbon components are due to intraspecific variation or are due to interspecific variation and if hybridization occurs between different hydrocarbon compositions. It is not uncommon within insect taxonomy that reclassification such as this occurs, often with the continuation of time and advancement of technology, researchers are able to learn more about species. Furthermore, this delineation of species has occurred within Formica... Wikipedia →
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More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Wood Ant sighting in Osaka on a given day, based on 35 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 81st most-seen of the 352 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Wood Ant in Osaka on a given day, against under 5% in October and December–February, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Japanese Wood Ant sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 9
Of the 9 cities where we can rate Japanese Wood Ant sightings, Osaka ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Gwangju (South Korea, about 40%), Busan (South Korea, about 20%) and Sendai (Japan, about 20%).
Same family: Formicidae
The closest relatives of the Japanese Wood Ant that you can see in Osaka (family Formicidae, Ants) are Japanese Carpenter Ant (about 10%), Japanese Queenless Ant (about 10%) and Camponotus obscuripes (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Japanese Wood Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Osaka (35 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.
