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 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 390th most-seen of the 431 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 to January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Four-Spurred Assassin Bug in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February to October, the lowest months. Those are among Cumbres de Monterrey National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 180 mm in September.
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.
6th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Four-Spurred Assassin Bug sightings, Cumbres de Monterrey National Park ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Death Valley National Park (United States, about 10%), Saguaro National Park (United States, about 10%) and Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Four-Spurred Assassin Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
