Cheilomenes sexmaculata
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Cheilomenes sexmaculata is a species of ladybird. Although sometimes known by the common name of six-spotted zigzag ladybird, this is misleading as there are several colour morphs and some colour morphs of the species can be confused with Micraspis discolor and Chilocorus nigrita. The species has a wide distribution range within the Asian tropics and subtropical zones from India to Japan and parts of the Australian region. They have been introduced into the Caribbean islands as a biocontrol agent and their spread to South America was noted in 2019. It is well known as a predator of aphids and other small insects.
This species is about 3 to 4 mm in body length. It is a voracious predator on several whiteflies and aphids such as Aphis gossypii, Myzus persicae, Aphis craccivora, Amrasca, Empoasca and Leptocentrus. In addition to them, it feeds on a wide prey range including, scale insects, and diaspids.
The elytral colour has been identified as being controlled by two genes with two alleles each U-u and D-d and the phenotypes have been grouped into varieties quadriplagiata (“Q”) [UUDD,UUDd,UuDD,UuDd]; unifasciata (“U”) [Uudd,UUdd]; diversijunata... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caroni Swamp | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 2 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 5 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Xiuying District | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Rajkot | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Tiruchirappalli | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Davao City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 6 | Dhaka | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | |
| 7 | Nanchang | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 8 | Prayagraj | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Vasai-Virar | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Naha | 🇯🇵 Japan |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird sighting in Taipei on a given day, based on 387 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 20th most-seen of the 765 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November to March
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird in Taipei on a given day, against about 10% in May to October, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
30th of 74
Of the 74 cities where we can rate Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird sightings, Taipei ranks 30th at about 20%. The best odds are in Quito (Ecuador, about 50%), Xiuying District (China, about 50%) and Rajkot (India, about 40%).
Same family: Coccinellidae
The closest relatives of the Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird that you can see in Taipei (family Coccinellidae, Lady Beetles) are Oenopia formosana (about 10%), Greater Asian Lady Beetle (about 10%) and Coelophora saucia (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird is recorded against all the insects logged in Taipei (387 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.
