Zelus tetracanthus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Zelus tetracanthus, the four-spurred assassin bug, is a species of assassin bug in the family Reduviidae. It is found in the Caribbean Sea, Central America, North America, and South America. Adults are brown, black, or gray and have a body length of 10–16 mm. Their antennae and legs are long and slender. They have a row of four spurs across their thorax. Both adults and nymphs use a sticky secretion to capture prey. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Four-Spurred Assassin Bug sighting in Vancouver on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 297th most-seen of the 482 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Four-Spurred Assassin Bug in Vancouver on a given day, against under 5% in December to October, the lowest months. That is one of Vancouver's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain against 25 mm in July.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Four-Spurred Assassin Bug sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
16th of 22
Of the 22 cities where we can rate Four-Spurred Assassin Bug sightings, Vancouver ranks 16th at under 5%. The best odds are in Ciudad Juárez (México, about 10%), Mesa (United States, about 10%) and Las Vegas (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Four-Spurred Assassin Bug that you can see in Vancouver (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (about 20%), Western Conifer Seed Bug (about 20%) and Bright-Spotted Groundbug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Four-Spurred Assassin Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Vancouver (11 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.
