Forficula dentata
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Forficula dentata is a species of earwig in the family Forficulidae, commonly referred to as the Western earwig or European earwig. It was first described by Danish zoologist, Johan Christian Fabricius, in 1775. It is a cryptic species belonging to the Forficula auricularia species complex. Originally thought to be a synonym of F. auricularia, it has since been classified its own unique species. Being cryptic, it is often misidentified as F. auricularia or Forficula mediterranea, which differ in their distribution.
The distribution of F. dentata includes the British Isles, parts of Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, the Western United States and Canada. Other populations of this species include the Belarusian Central Botanic Gardens, Belarus; Newfoundland, Canada; and an individual near Gimmingen, Germany. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 5 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Earwig sighting in Seattle on a given day, based on 182 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 28th most-seen of the 428 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and March–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Earwig in Seattle on a given day, against under 5% in February and December, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Earwig 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 15 cities where we can rate Western Earwig sightings, Seattle ranks 5th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Portland (United States, about 10%), Melbourne (Australia, about 10%) and La Paz (Bolivia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Earwig is recorded against all the insects logged in Seattle (182 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.
