Aulacophora nigripennis
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Aulacophora nigripennis is a species of leaf beetle in the genus Aulacophora. The beetle is relatively small with a hard, black exoskeleton containing faint yellowish dots around the sides. The head is a deep, bright orange, while A. nigripennis has a large orange compartmentalized thorax.
A. nigripennis is a pest that feeds on species of the plant genera Dianthus and Trichosanthes by creating a circular "trench" using its mandibles. After circularly cutting through the leaf, the trench overflows with sticky phloem sap that, through cohesion, sticks to form a semicircle around the beetle. The beetle then sucks the sap using its mouth.
A. nigripennis stores cucurbitacins from curcurbit plants for use as defense. Researchers in Japan have conducted research in using "trap plants" to kill off and reduce the numbers of A. nigripennis. Because A. nigripennis is attracted particularly to Dianthus pungens in the genus Dianthus, D. pungens trap plants were the most effective, reducing the population of A. nigripennis from 1.5 beetles per 100 carnation plants to a mere 0.1 beetles, a 93.3% reduction. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Aulacophora nigripennis sighting in Tokyo on a given day, based on 626 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 24th most-seen of the 1013 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–June and August–November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Aulacophora nigripennis in Tokyo on a given day, against under 5% in December to February, the lowest months.
2nd of 6
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Aulacophora nigripennis sightings, Tokyo ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Nagoya (Japan, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Aulacophora nigripennis is recorded against all the insects logged in Tokyo (626 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.
