Pseudomyrmex gracilis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Pseudomyrmex gracilis, also known as the graceful twig ant, Mexican twig ant, slender twig ant, or elongated twig ant, is a large, slender species of ant native to Mexico and arid parts of the US. The workers are about 8–10 millimeters (0.31–0.39 in) in length and generally wasp-like in appearance and style of movement. Worker ants are bi-colored; the head and gaster are dark, while the antennae, mouthparts, thorax and legs are dull orange with dark shading. They often may be seen on vegetation, foraging for live insects or collecting honeydew from sap-sucking insects.
If the colony ever finds themselves without a queen, the worker ants form dominance hierarchies by boxing with their antennae. This leads to a couple high ranking individuals which can lay eggs until a new queen returns. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Graceful Twig Ant sighting in San José on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 138th most-seen of the 239 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.
March–April and July–October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Graceful Twig Ant in San José on a given day, against under 5% in May–June and November–February, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Graceful Twig 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.
Among the best
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Graceful Twig Ant sightings, San José ranks 6th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Houston (United States, about 10%), Guadalajara (México, about 10%) and Monterrey (México, about 10%).
Same family: Formicidae
The closest relatives of the Graceful Twig Ant that you can see in San José (family Formicidae, Ants) are Hairy-Headed Leafcutter Ant (about 30%), Shimmering Golden Sugar Ant (about 10%) and Tropical Carpenter Ant (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Graceful Twig Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in San José (10 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.
