Zelus tetracanthus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Four-Spurred Assassin Bug sighting in Death Valley National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 91st most-seen of the 108 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and August–September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Four-Spurred Assassin Bug in Death Valley National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–May, July, October and December–January, the lowest months.
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.
Yes
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Four-Spurred Assassin Bug sightings, Death Valley National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Saguaro National Park (United States, about 10%) and Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Four-Spurred Assassin Bug that you can see in Death Valley National Park (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Phytocoris vanduzeei (about 10%), Okanagana magnifica (about 10%) and Nevares Spring Naucorid Bug (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 Death Valley 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.
