Siphanta acuta
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Siphanta acuta is a species of planthopper in the family Flatidae; this species is native to Australia, but is now found in various other parts of the world. About 10 mm long, they resemble small leaves and are generally found in trees. Its common names are the green planthopper or leaf bug (in Australia and New Zealand), and the torpedo bug (in Hawaii).
Adult Siphanta acuta are large-winged (as are other members of the family Flatidae) and bright green. Their wings are triangular, sharply pointed at the tip, and sit held like a steep roof. Their wings project behind the end of their abdomen and almost reach the ground. Most of their body is concealed. A pointed head and distal segments of front and middle legs (sometimes tarsus of hind legs) are visible.
The body length of mature green planthoppers is around 9.3 mm. They have two pairs of wings, three pairs of legs, one pair of antennae, and compound eyes on either side of their head. They have piercing/sucking mouthparts and females have an ovipositor at the end of the abdomen.
Nymphs of Siphanta acuta are white with a pair of waxy filaments either side of the sixth abdominal segment, with two long tufts at the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Lisbon | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 8 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Torpedo Bug sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 437 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 50th most-seen of the 737 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 Torpedo Bug in San Francisco on a given day, against under 5% in December to February, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Torpedo Bug sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Torpedo Bug sightings, San Francisco ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Auckland (New Zealand, about 10%) and Johannesburg (South Africa, about 10%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Torpedo Bug that you can see in San Francisco (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Large Milkweed Bug (about 10%), Oleander Aphid (about 10%) and Small Milkweed Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Torpedo Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (437 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.
