Tachypompilus unicolor
In 3 days ~10%
Tachypompilus unicolor, known as the western red-tailed spider wasp or red-tailed spider hunter, is a species of spider wasp from western North America. Especially in the subspecies T. u. cerinus, the body is often entirely red, with yellow, dark-margined wings.
It is found in Southern California, including the northern Baja California and the Channel Islands, north to the Okanagan Valley, southern British Columbia, eastwards through southwestern Idaho to western South Dakota and northern Utah.
Adults of T. unicolor feed at honeydew secretions and flowers. Females have been captured at honeydew from galls of Disholcapsis eldoradensis on Quercus lobata and at flowers of Asclepias erosa, Baccharis sarothroides, Chrysothamnus sp., Lepidospartum squamatum, and Wislizenia refracta. Males have been taken on the flowers of Calochortus catalinae, Hemizonia fasciculata, Rhamnus californica, and Xanthium spinosum. Both males and females visit the extrafloral nectaries of Helianthus and have been collected at flowers of Atriplex semibaccata, Cicuta sp., Eriogonum fasciculatum, Eriogonum gracile, and Foeniculum vulgare. The flight period in California... 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 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 416th most-seen of the 737 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp in San Francisco on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp sightings, San Francisco has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Los Angeles (United States, under 5%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp that you can see in San Francisco (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Black-Tailed Bumble Bee (about 10%), Argentine Ant (about 10%) and European Paper Wasp (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Red-Tailed Spider Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (21 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.
