Liometopum occidentale
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Liometopum occidentale, also called the velvety tree ant, is a species of ant in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. Liometopum occidentale is often mistaken for carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.) by homeowners and pest management professionals. This mistaken identity is due to morphological and behavioral characteristics they share with carpenter ants; namely polymorphic workers, a smooth convex thoracic profile, and the tendency to excavate wood. Consequently, their importance as structural pests may be greatly underreported, especially in California, Oregon, and Washington, United States.
Liometopum occidentale was originally described as Liometopum microcephalum var. occidentale by Emery (1895). Wheeler (1905) relocated it to a variety of Liometopum apiculatum. It was finally elevated to the species level by Wheeler (1917) and remained there in a recent taxonomic review by Del Toro et al. (2009).
Liometopum occidentale is found from sea level to over 1840 m in coastal regions from southern Washington to northern Mexico. The range of elevation of this species also appears to depend on latitude, with ants collected from locations in Oregon as low as 7 m and up... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Velvety Tree Ant sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 148 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 117th 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 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and March–May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Velvety Tree Ant in San Francisco on a given day, against under 5% in February and June–December, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Velvety Tree Ant sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Western Velvety Tree Ant sightings, San Francisco ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Sacramento (United States, about 10%) and Portland (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Formicidae
The closest relatives of the Western Velvety Tree Ant that you can see in San Francisco (family Formicidae, Ants) are Argentine Ant (about 10%) and American Winter Ant (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Velvety Tree Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (148 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.
