Cantao ocellatus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Cantao ocellatus is a species of shield bug in the family Scutelleridae found across Asia. Cantao ocellatus is reddish or ochre in overall colour it has dark legs and bluish black antennae. A dark bluish black stripe is present along the central line of the head. The pronotum sometimes has two black spots on the front margin and sometimes has eight spots. The scutellum has eight or six black spots of variable size but with yellowish borders. The lateral angle of the pronotum is elongated into a curved spine but this can be much reduced. A distinctive symbiotic bacterial genus Sodalis from phylum Gammaproteobacteria is found in its midgut. Maternal care of eggs and nymphs has been noted in this species. The female stands over and covers the eggs after they are laid but eggs on the edge that she cannot cover are often parasitized by wasps.
Cantao ocellatus has been reported from the Indian Subcontinent into Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea. It has also been reported from Japan and Zaire. Cantao ocellatus suck sap from a wide range of plants including Macaranga, Camellia sasanqua, Kigelia, Mallotus, Bischofia javanica... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 2 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 3 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taichung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 2 | Zhuhai [Macau] | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Kunming | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Fuzhou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 5 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 6 | Hong Kong | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 7 | Tuen Mun | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 8 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Guangzhou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 10 | Tainan | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Ocellated Shield Bug sighting in Taipei on a given day, based on 168 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 70th most-seen of the 765 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Ocellated Shield Bug in Taipei on a given day, against under 5% in August and October–December, the lowest months. That is one of Taipei's wettest months, with about 270 mm of rain against 90 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ocellated Shield Bug sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 15 cities where we can rate Ocellated Shield Bug sightings, Taipei ranks 5th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Taichung (Taiwan, about 10%), Zhuhai [Macau] (China, about 10%) and Kunming (China, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ocellated Shield Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Taipei (168 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.
