Sphex lucae
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Sphex lucae is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae. Sphex lucae is predominantly found in western North America, but specimens have also been collected in Georgia and Florida.Entomologist Henry T. Fernald described this wasp as: "Body rather slender; the head and thorax black; the abdomen black to red, the two colors variously mingled in different examples, the males being generally much darker than the females; wings varying from yellowish hyaline with a fuliginous tinge to deep fuliginous with a violet reflection; legs dark ferruginous to black." Richard M. Bohart and Arnold S. Menke proposed moving this wasp to the monotypic genus Fernaldina. The main body of research on this wasp prior to 1965 regarded its propensity for communal roosting on plants. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sphex lucae sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 82 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 165th most-seen of the 737 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sphex lucae in San Francisco on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months. Those are among San Francisco's driest months, with almost no rain against 110 mm in December.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sphex lucae 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 4 cities where we can rate Sphex lucae sightings, San Francisco has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come San Diego (United States, under 5%) and Portland (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sphex lucae is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (82 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.
