Cryptococcus fagisuga
In 3 days ~10%
Cryptococcus fagisuga, commonly known as the beech scale or woolly beech scale, is a felted scale insect in the superfamily Coccoidea that infests beech trees of the genus Fagus. It is associated with the transmission of beech bark disease because the puncture holes it makes in the bark allow entry of pathogenic fungi which have been identified as Nectria coccinea var. faginata and sometimes Nectria galligena.
Cryptococcus fagisuga a.k.a. Beech bark disease has been recorded as affecting common beech trees, Fagus sylvatica, in Europe since before 1849. Until 1914 it was thought that the beech scale insect itself was responsible for the disease. Subsequently it was discovered that a fungus, then identified as Neonectria ditissima, was in fact killing the trees infested by the scale. Around 1890 the scale insect was accidentally introduced into Nova Scotia. By 1932, the scale and its associated Neonectria fungus had spread to many areas of the Maritime Provinces and parts of eastern and south central Maine. It continues to spread in North America and is now found in Quebec, Ontario, New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Attempts... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Beech Scale sighting in Toronto on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1410th most-seen of the 1689 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Beech Scale in Toronto on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Beech Scale sightings, Toronto ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, under 5%) and Boston (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Beech Scale is recorded against all the insects logged in Toronto (8 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.
