Cryptolaemus montrouzieri
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, common name mealybug ladybird or mealybug destroyer, is a species of ladybird beetle native to eastern Australia. The beetle feeds on mealybugs and other scale insects, and is used to control those pests on citrus orchards worldwide.
Étienne Mulsant described C. montrouzieri, naming the new species after a Marist brother and missionary, Abbe Montrouzier, who wrote an "Insect Fauna of Woodlark Island". Cryptolaemus montrouzieri is endemic to Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. It is now also present in Europe (France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus and as far as Northern Germany), in North Africa, in the Afrotropical realm, in the Nearctic realm, and in the Neotropical realm.
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri can reach a length of about 6 millimetres (0.24 in). Adults of this species have the typical ladybird shape but, unlike many of the often brightly coloured Coccinellidae, the elytra of these small ladybirds are predominantly dark brown and have no spots. Head, antennae, pronotum, the end of the elytra and the legs are orange-brown. Larvae can reach a length of 14–15 millimetres (0.55–0.59 in). They show... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 2 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mealybug Destroyer sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 195th 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 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and October–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mealybug Destroyer in Pretoria on a given day, against under 5% in January–February and April–September, the lowest months. Those are among Pretoria's wettest months, with about 85 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mealybug Destroyer sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 28 cities where we can rate Mealybug Destroyer sightings, Pretoria ranks 10th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Brisbane (Australia, about 10%), Tel Aviv (Israel, about 10%) and Sydney (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Coccinellidae
The closest relatives of the Mealybug Destroyer that you can see in Pretoria (family Coccinellidae, Lady Beetles) are Asian Lady Beetle (about 30%), Lunate Lady Beetle (about 30%) and Cheilomenes propinqua (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mealybug Destroyer is recorded against all the insects logged in Pretoria (6 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.
