Copestylum mexicanum
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Cactus Fly sighting in San Diego on a given day, based on 261 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 44th most-seen of the 693 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March to November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Cactus Fly in San Diego on a given day, against under 5% in December to February, the lowest months.
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.
Yes
Of the 10 cities where we can rate Mexican Cactus Fly sightings, San Diego has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Los Angeles (United States, under 5%) and Sacramento (United States, under 5%).
Same genus: Copestylum
The closest relatives of the Mexican Cactus Fly that you can see in San Diego (genus Copestylum, Bromeliad Flies) are Yellow-Spotted Bromeliad Fly (about 10%) and Copestylum marginatum (about 10%), 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 San Diego (261 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.
