Lycorma meliae
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Lycorma meliae is a planthopper species endemic to Taiwan, with multiple, dramatically different color morphs depending on the life stage. The species was described by Masayo Kato in Taiwan in 1929, and is the only member of its genus confirmed to be native to the island. In 1929, a specimen of L. meliae was originally described as a separate species, L. olivacea, also by Kato. These two taxon names were declared synonymous in 2023. L. meliae undergoes four instar stages before achieving adulthood and generally only survive until the winter.
L. meliae is a species in the genus Lycorma, in the planthopper family Fulgoridae, subfamily Aphaeninae. Species within this genus are found in Asia. L. meliae, along with its synonym L. olivacea, was described by Masayo Kato in Taiwan in 1929. While initially seen as two separate species, a 2023 report in the Zoological Studies journal concluded that L. meliae and L. olivacea represented two different life stages of the same species. In this reclassification, L. olivacea was redefined as a junior synonym.
Males have a body length that ranges from 22.2 millimetres (0.87 in) to 28.5 millimetres (1.12 in). Females... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lycorma meliae sighting in Taipei on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 385th most-seen of the 765 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.
June and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lycorma meliae in Taipei on a given day, against under 5% in January–May and July–November, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lycorma meliae sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Taipei, in our data
Taipei is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Lycorma meliae sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Fulgoridae
The closest relatives of the Lycorma meliae that you can see in Taipei (family Fulgoridae, Lanternflies) are Litchi Lantern Bug (about 10%) and Watanabe's Lanternfly (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lycorma meliae is recorded against all the insects logged in Taipei (18 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.
