Copestylum mexicanum
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Copestylum mexicanum, the Mexican cactus fly, is a species of syrphid fly in the family Syrphidae. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Cactus Fly sighting in Sacramento on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 176th most-seen of the 386 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and August–September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Cactus Fly in Sacramento on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and October–April, the lowest months. Those are among Sacramento's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 120 mm in December.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mexican Cactus Fly sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 10
Of the 10 cities where we can rate Mexican Cactus Fly sightings, Sacramento ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in San Diego (United States, about 10%) and Los Angeles (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Syrphidae
The closest relatives of the Mexican Cactus Fly that you can see in Sacramento (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Western Aphideater (about 20%), Margined Calligrapher (about 20%) and Oblique Streaktail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mexican Cactus Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Sacramento (16 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.
