Zelus longipes
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
Zelus longipes is an assassin bug (Reduviidae) that is a member of the Harpactorinae subfamily. Its distribution ranges include southern North America, Central America, and South America (except Chile), especially in agroecosystems in Brazil.
Zelus longipes has been considered as a potential biocontrol agent, as it prefers caterpillars of Spodoptera frugiperda, which is a moth that is a pest in cornfields. The species is a generalist predator, commonly used to combat picture-winged flies (Diptera: Ulidiidae), which cause damage to sweet corn yields in Florida. Z. longipes prefers smaller caterpillars, probably because there is less risk of injury while subduing smaller prey. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 8 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Milkweed Assassin Bug sighting in Quito on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 34th most-seen of the 83 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, April–June and August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Milkweed Assassin Bug in Quito on a given day, against under 5% in July and October, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Milkweed Assassin Bug sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 12 cities where we can rate Milkweed Assassin Bug sightings, Quito has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Miami (United States, about 10%) and Houston (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Milkweed Assassin Bug that you can see in Quito (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Leptoglossus zonatus (about 20%), Pellaea stictica (about 10%) and Onega bracteata (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Milkweed Assassin Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Quito (19 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.
