Evania appendigaster
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Evania appendigaster, also known as the blue-eyed ensign wasp, is a species of wasp in the family Evaniidae. Its native range is not known, but it likely originated in Asia (Specifically tropical or oriental regions). Today it occurs throughout the tropics and subtropics and in many temperate regions. As with the rest of its family, the blue-eyed ensign wasp is a parasitoid known for specializing on cockroach eggs.
This is one of the larger ensign wasps, with forewings up to about 7 millimeters long. It is distinguished from other species by the wide separation of the first and second sections of the coxa, the segment of the leg that attaches to the body. Its body is black in color with contrasting blue eyes. The abdominal petiole, the constricted stalk that holds the posterior section of the abdomen, or gaster, is attached high on the body. The gaster is laterally compressed and oval to nearly triangular in shape, held in a flaglike fashion and resembling an ensign, a characteristic of the family that inspired the common name ensign wasp.
This wasp reproduces by laying eggs into egg cases, or oothecae, of cockroaches. The wasp larvae use the cockroach... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 5 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Casablanca | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 2 | Davao City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 3 | Karachi | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | |
| 4 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Valencia | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Mendoza | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Santo Domingo | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 8 | Manaus | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Valencia | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 10 | Dhaka | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 272nd most-seen of the 316 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–May and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–August and October–February, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Tijuca National Park (Brazil, about 10%) and Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (Mexico, about 10%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are African Weaver Ant (about 30%), Savanna Spiny Sugar Ant (about 20%) and Silver Spiny Sugar Ant (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue-Eyed Ensign Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in iSimangaliso Wetland 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.
