Phytomyza ranunculi
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Phytomyza ranunculi is a species of fly in the family Agromyzidae. It is found in the Palearctic. Eggs are laid on plants in the Ranunculaceae family. The larvae are, primarily, leaf-miners. They form a long, conspicuous white mine with the frass present in close strings.
In 2018 the first confirmed adults were reared from stem-mines of meadow buttercup (Ranunculus acris). This is a rare example of 'organoxeny', where a phytophagous insect occurs on a different part of a plant from where it can normally be found.
The larvae pupates into a greyish or brown puparium, with posterior spiracles each with about 18-20 bulbs. Adult flies are approximately 2 mm in length. Adults are highly variable in colour, with several named variants including a pale form (P. ranunculi var. flava) and dark forms (P. ranunculi var. flavoscutellata and var. islandica).
The fly is widespread throughout Europe. P. ranunculi pupae are particularly at risk from parasitism. Up to 75% of all reared puparium have been shown to be parasitised. Parasitoids of this species include numerous species in the hymenoptera superfamilies Chalcidoidea and Ichneumonoidea... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Phytomyza ranunculi sighting in Gros Morne National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 41st most-seen of the 83 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Phytomyza ranunculi in Gros Morne National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September and November–May, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Phytomyza ranunculi sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Gros Morne National Park, in our data
Gros Morne National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Phytomyza ranunculi sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Phytomyza ranunculi is recorded against all the insects logged in Gros Morne National Park (8 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.
