Carlisis wahlbergi
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Carlisis wahlbergi (Stål, 1858) aka the Gardenia twig wilter is a Central and Southern African species of Coreidae in the order Hemiptera. The species was first described by Carl Stål, the Swedish authority on Hemiptera, and based on a specimen collected by the Swedish naturalist Johan August Wahlberg at Lake Ngami in Bechuanaland.
The species shows a marked preference for the sap of Gardenia thunbergia and Gardenia volkensii, and its nymphs possess powerfully offensive scent glands to discourage predation or interference. This defensive secretion has been analysed and found to consist largely of acetic acid (66%), trans-2-hexenal (17%) and 3-hydroxybutanal (14%). Even so the adults are eaten in Zimbabwe. Nymphs of various Coreids secrete alarm pheromones from the dorsal abdominal glands. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gardenia Twig Wilter sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 95th most-seen of the 274 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.
September and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Gardenia Twig Wilter in Pretoria on a given day, against under 5% in February–May and July, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gardenia Twig Wilter sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Gardenia Twig Wilter sightings, Pretoria ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Johannesburg (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Coreidae
The closest relatives of the Gardenia Twig Wilter that you can see in Pretoria (family Coreidae, Leaf-footed Bugs) are Giant Twig Wilter (about 10%), Elasmopoda alata (about 10%) and Brotheolus viridis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gardenia Twig Wilter is recorded against all the insects logged in Pretoria (15 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.
