Blissus leucopterus
In 3 days ~10%
Blissus leucopterus, also known as the true chinch bug, is a small North American insect in the order Hemiptera and family Blissidae. It is the most commonly encountered species of the genus Blissus, which are all known as chinch bugs. A closely related species is B. insularis, the southern chinch bug.
The name of the chinch bug is derived from the Spanish chinche, which refers to the bed bug and is in turn derived from the Latin cimex. The chinch bug is not related to the bed bug, but took this name on account of producing a similar smell to that of bed bugs when crushed.
These bugs tend to gather on sunny, open patches of turfgrass. Due to their small size, chinch bugs are hardly noticeable, so they become problems, since they are considered pests that feed on stems of turfgrass and grain crops.
B. leucopterus is about 4 mm (0.16 in) long when fully developed. The adults' bodies vary in colour from dark red to brown with white wings and red legs. Young nymphs are usually bright red and half the size of adults. A distinguishable feature is the white band found on the nymph's abdomen. This band will be covered with wings and changes colour to black during development... 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 Hairy Chinch Bug sighting in Toronto on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1296th 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Hairy Chinch Bug in Toronto on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Hairy Chinch Bug sightings, Toronto ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Montreal (Canada, under 5%) and Boston (United States, under 5%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Hairy Chinch Bug that you can see in Toronto (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are European Firebug (about 20%), Eastern Boxelder Bug (about 20%) and Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hairy Chinch Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Toronto (7 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.
